Lethality
by scntlla
Summary: Curiosity killed the cat, and satisfaction brought it back.
1. Tricks and Treats

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening, nor anything in the Fire Emblem franchise! _

_This chapter has some mild violence and mentions of blood. _

* * *

_Crinkle, crinkle. _

Paper film is wrinkled and discarded, left to itself as it drifts to the floor in a lazy manner. Wrappers are annoying obstacles, their bright colors and plastic edges serving as distractions and obstructions to the real prize inside.

Henry's prize at the moment was a green apple candy that was hard and sour and seemed to bite back at him. It was one of many confections, a small part of the sweets stash that would eventually be consumed. He really should _not_ be eating candy, especially candy that belonged to _Gaius. _But the thief had left his tent flap open, practically begging for folks like Henry to traipse in and raid the place. With all of that in consideration, it was impossible for Henry to not invade the space.

So, really, the blame is on Gaius, for leaving his room so vulnerable. If Henry thought about it like that, then he felt less guilty than before.

And he was already guiltless to begin with.

He remembered when he first entered Gaius' room, and how the most noticeable thing about it was the overwhelming stench of sugar. Not the daggers, knives, or lock-picking tools, but the smell of sweetness and teeth-rot. Yet, Henry realized that there were no identifiable candies or treats in any of the drawers or crevices, and that there was only one explanation for that.

_He must have hidden them somewhere, _Henry thought. _I would have hid them, too._

No amount of preparation or hiding could evade a hex, however, especially a curse specifically made to uncover hidden truths. The Plegian muttered strange words under his breath, and when he opened his eyes, he could see every secret the room had to offer. A large stash of desserts was hidden in a secret compartment in the ground, right under the dirt floors. It was a clever attempt, but nothing could thwart the superiority of magic.

There were so many sweets that Henry was sure that neither the local bakery nor sweets shop had as much treats as Gaius did. Donuts, cakes, cookies, and other pastries were in an icebox. Inside a crate was over one hundred different assortments of bonbons, ranging from strawberry to caramel to mint. Lollipops, hard candies, gummies, and tarts were there as well, together with dozens of pounds of the world's finest chocolate.

He did not even have a strong stomach, but if it meant he got to humiliate Gaius, then he would eat _all _of it.

When Gaius finally returned, Henry must have been on his hundredth snack. The thief had an uncanny ability to remain completely stone-faced, even in the face of insufferable pricks like Henry. Even when the boy flashed him such a triumphant smile, in his _own _room.

His relaxed figure and stray lollipop undermined his true strength and intimidation. He had a large bag slung over his shoulders, and when he let the haul drop to the floor, he could straighten out and have a chance to flex his comparably more impressive muscles. Gaius cracked his knuckles, and let out a deep sigh.

"Junior," Gaius said, stepping forward. "You realize you're in _my _tent, right?"

"Totally! I could smell the diabetes from a mile away!"

"So why the hell are you in here, then?"

Standing at his fullest, Gaius easily towered over the other, even if it was only by three or some odd inches. Bodily wise, the wiry Plegian looked pathetic next to the Ylissean's physique, and even if dark thoughts of muscle mutilation filled his head, Henry could not help but feel the sting of self consciousness.

So instead of dealing with the inner insecurity, he decided to crack some jokes.

"'Cause I wanted to be! You've got a _lot _of candy, by the way!"

Gaius narrowed his eyes, but tried to be as calm as possible. He wanted it to look like he still had control over the situation, even if the other's grin implied otherwise.

"Get out," Gaiu demanded. "Or I'll beat you up without any remorse."

"Go ahead," Henry taunted, twirling licorice sticks in his hand. "You can't stop me from doing _this._"

He stuffed three entire licorice sticks in his mouth, and smiled evilly as he crushed all of the pastries and pies underneath his feet, jumping and stomping on them like a child.

The Ylissean's stare was dark green and piercing, like the shaded leaves of a forest or the deep ebb of a lagoon. On the surface, the irises were smooth and calm, but Henry could see the lurking animosity and fury that lay underneath.

He knew that no matter how much of Gaius' sweets he ate, nothing could get rid of the bitter taste in his mouth.

...

Henry limped around the barracks, trailing blood underneath his feet, leaving behind marks that looked as if some corpse had been moved around the room. His hands, pale and tremulous, were pressed against a bleeding injury, one that was doubly received in his right side. His bangs fell loose as white strands of his hair were tinted red from stray blood smears.

Oh, how everything hurt. He truly, _truly_ detested pain, and his thoughts remained frenzied within him as everything stung with agony_. _His smile dared to falter, but when the worst of it passed, he founds his lips stretching to their fullest.

Who knew that Gaius would get so violent over some sweets?

"Henry?"

The Plegian turned around, and laughed when he saw Ricken standing in the doorway with a look of disbelief.

Or was it a look of fear?

"That's me! Did you forget?" Henry joked, giggling until the sound morphed into a horrible cough. He heaved violently, hacking into his hands.

Ricken hesitated, but ultimately lurched forward to help his friend. With a shaky hand, he pulled Henry's hand away from his face, and blanched when he saw the pale skin patterned with wet, crimson stains.

He gulped. "What happened to you?"

"Gaius happened."

"_Gaius _did this to you?"

"Well, at first he just threatened to punch me, but when I ate all his sweets and cursed his arse off, well, you can imagine what he wanted to do after that! Haha!"

"You dummy! Why would you provoke him more in the first place? Gods, you're unbelievable sometimes. Just come with me, then. We gotta get you looked at. I don't wanna say you deserved it, but..."

A small tug of the sleeve was enough to get the dark mage going, and he followed helplessly as his friend lead him out of the barracks, presumably to see a healer. They were silent for a short moment, until Ricken turned around and flicked Henry in the forehead.

"Next time, just don't make things worse." he scolded. "Otherwise I'll think twice about trying to help a trouble maker like you."

"I'm not a trouble maker! Trouble makes itself!"

"Ha," Ricken joked dryly, "spoken like a true _jerk_."

...

Henry should have been cautious, evasive, or at least apologetic from that point on. Gaius taught him a lesson when it came to messing around with him or his sweets, and that should have been enough to convince Henry to leave him alone.

Instead, it seemed to make Henry want to mess around with him more. The thoughts in his head were not those of apologies or amendments, but of diabolical schemes or revenge.

One of those schemes worked out so effortlessly, rewarding Henry with the _crunch _of a freshly baked pecan pie. The flavor was good, but what was more satisfying was how easily he stole it from Gaius. It was so simple, he wondered if the thief was just dense by nature.

Who leaves their food unattended to go inspect a sound? Granted, he was not sure if the crows would play their part right, but the din of barrels being pushed over was enough to grab the ginger's attention, and he had left the kitchen to inspect it as a result. In the time it took him to leave the room and come back, Henry had stolen both of the pies that were in the oven, and he even left a message in flour on the counter.

_Your move, Honeybuns. _

Gaius did not need to go far to find the perpetrator, especially when Henry did not even _try _to hide. He was seated on top of the stables, his legs swung over and dangling over the edge of the roof. The pecan pies were eaten triumphantly, but Henry was sure that he was at least mildly allergic to nuts. But did he care?

_Evidently not, _Gaius thought as he burned his stare into the bottom of Henry's feet. _Since he's up there, eating like it's no one's business._

_Gods damned nuisance._

"Get down here, Junior!" Gaius yelled.

"No way, Honeybuns." Henry wagged a finger, as if scolding a child. "This is payback."

"Payback for _what? _And stop calling me 'Honeybuns'!"

"Payback for giving me ouchies, _duh. _And plus, you give people nicknames all the time, so it's natural that you get one in return! Don't like it?"

"You cursed me in the first place!" Gaius reminded. "And I don't like it, not at all."

"I only cursed you because you punched me." Henry insisted. "And _good_, 'cause I'm gonna keep using it."

"Just get down here, and give me back my pies!"

Henry's smile was like thread, needling its way through his pale visage. It was so satisfying to mess with the Ylissean the way he was. He erupted in giggles, but eventually got a hold of himself and replied. "_Okay_, but you asked for it!"

He dumped the pie tins on Gaius, and watched as the nuts, cream, crust and all fell onto the thief's head. The metal container itself made a dull thud against Gaius' noggin, and the sound of it was like sweet music to Henry's tone deaf ears.

Tone deaf as he was, Henry's sight was still perfectly fine, and he could tell from the other's smoldering gaze that he was in a _lot _of trouble.

_Bring it on, Gaius_. Henry thought defiantly. _Catch me if you can._

_..._

Just like the day before, Henry found himself limping around the barracks, his walk hampered by his body's condition. Blood pooled in his sides and on his head, falling over in sticky, saturated streams of scarlet. His hands were shaking uncontrollably, pressed obliquely against his wounded side. The pain was sharp and biting, cutting into his skin so much that it made him want to peel it all off if that was what it took to make the burning stop.

_You'd think all that sugar would slow him down, _the boy thought sadly, _it's actually the opposite..._

The one to save him from his recklessness was Ricken, again. The boy had left his tome in the barracks, and he did not like the idea of leaving his trusted Elwind behind. But he found more than just his spells as he nearly yelped, jumping in surprise at his friend's broken and bloodied body dragging itself around like a wounded animal. Henry was a dark yet resplendent figure, eyes staring accusingly at Ricken like _he _was the one who hurt him. But his smile offset everything, and he wavered in his friend's presence.

"Hey," Henry greeted casually, "funny I should run into you again."

"Don't 'hey' me, Henry! I told you to stop messing with Gaius, didn't I? What did you do _this_ time?"

"Well, obviously I messed with him."

Ricken sighed, and quickly grabbed hold of the other's less injured arm, ignoring the blood that started dripping down the length of his sheer robes. Ricken's eyes were like the earth and sky, the ground soil and clouds on a stormy day. They burned into Henry's, whose eyes were like the sea, deep and foreboding like unknown waters and the darkness of a black night. When their eyes met, it was like lightning that shattered the cloudy sky.

Henry felt vulnerable in every way but one, so he kept silent. Ricken noticed his uncharacteristic pause, and took it upon himself to make the next move. He tapped the other lightly against the head. "If you don't stop messing around, you'll find out that Gaius isn't nearly as scary as _I _am."

Henry, feeling genuinely scared, felt his smile waver, but laughed it off in spite of himself. "Yes, sir! No more messing around with Gaius!"

"You say that," Ricken sighed, averting his eyes, "but I have a feeling that you'll just try again tomorrow."

"If I do, I have a feeling you'll be there for me again, tomorrow." Henry smiled. "At least, I hope so."

The smaller of the two laughed, and pulled the other along. The earth and sky conducted the seas, and made the waves bend underneath their regime. Their gaze was natural, astronomical, but it was broken as the earth turned its head away.

"I don't like to think it, but I feel like you would have been dead from making people so angry if I wasn't there to smooth things over."

"I like to think that you're right," Henry agreed. He kept silent for the rest of the walk to the healer's tent, but he could not help but stare at Ricken. _I like to think that you're right, _he repeated mentally, _and if it weren't for you, then I would have also been dead for entirely different reasons._


	2. Sticks and Stones

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening!_

_Concerning my works, Robin is agender and will go by they/them/theirs pronouns. This chapter, specifically, has violence, conflict, blood, death, and like aspects._

* * *

Since the incidents that Henry had with Gaius, the former was more cautious this time around, and was mischievous enough to ruin the thief's day, but not so intrusive that he warranted another beating or two. In close quarters combat, Henry was more or less defenseless, but Gaius was free game from _afar. _

As such, the Plegian had the opportunity to test out a multitude of new spells and curses, not knowing their true effects and not caring for that in the least. It was amusing to watch Gaius' hair change color, to see him hurl when eating anything sweet, or gain new headaches and stomachaches from a lift of a finger. There was one curse in particular that made Gaius temporarily blind, such that he was a sitting duck without his sight and that allowed Henry to swoop in and prank him or hurt him in inconsequential ways.

_A small price for him to pay, considering he made me bleed! _Henry thought to himself, smiling in satisfaction.

Gaius, for all of his pride, decided to hold back on the other when he had the chance, but there were more than one occasion in which Gaius broke his calm demeanor, and promptly injured Henry as payback, whether it was a shallow stab of a knife, or a hard punch to his head.

Everyone in camp was aware of their little situation, and many people avoided the two altogether so as to not get caught in their slightly dangerous crossfire.

The only person that could momentarily placate their anger at each other was Robin, who called them both in for a mission briefing.

"You're _serious?_" Gaius scoffed, slamming a hand firmly on the table. "You want _us _to be paired together?"

"I don't see why not," Robin replied, crossing their arms indignantly. "Your childish antics aside, you two would be able to cover each other's weaknesses in battle. And you're lucky you're not on the front lines."

"Maybe, but Bubbles, this stiff is on my shit list and I'd rather not work with someone like that."

"Oho? Are you _scared, _Honeybuns?" Henry taunted, _tsk-_ing smugly. "I understand, though, you're all talk and no walk!"

"Watch your mouth, Junior."

"Stop it," Robin cut in, refusing to see the argument escalate further. "Right now, just stop it. You two are _soldiers. _The least of your worries is each other, not when there's death to think about. Now, I don't know how you'll do it, but learn to get along or not. If you don't carry out your mission properly, I can talk to Chrom to see if there are any _latrine duties _open for you two. Do you understand?"

Normally, the tactician would not be prone to such blackmail, but they had little choice, seeing the animosity grow between the thief and the dark mage. Not to mention that they had no real intention of assigning them such mundane work, but instead was hoping that the bluff would be enough to convince them.

Judging from the looks on their faces, the message got through enough. Gaius' hunched shoulders relaxed some, the fiery look in his eyes dulling down as he accepted his grim fate. Henry perked up, visibly brightening as the prospect of being with Gaius was something that he wanted from the beginning.

"Yes," they chorused, with obviously different inflections in their tones.

...

The battlefield was a place where enemy alike could band together, lose their differences in the heat of the battle. In battle, the animosity shared between two units was lost as they focused on the opponents, forgetting any hate they harbored, any dislike they had.

Even for Gaius and Henry, it seemed that a cooperation between them was possible. After all, latrine duty was the literal pits, and perhaps the company of each other's detested was more desirable than dealing with the other soldiers' shit.

Literally.

And for the most part, Gaius and Henry managed to do what Robin set them up to do. They covered each other's weaknesses, making for a deadly duo on the sidelines. Henry was more suited to attacking from afar, and his distance between him and his enemies called for more powerful, slower hits. He could scope the enemy and make a good decision, even helping to pick off a few stray Risen that wandered too close to Gaius.

Gaius, as a result, was more of the close-combat type, even if his fighting style was more evasive than anything. No matter how low the defense, if a hit could not land than it was all over. He outmaneuvered his opponents, who were incredibly hasty and inaccurate at times (he supposed being dead did that to a person), and landed decisive blows that, while lacking in physical power, made up in deadliness.

He made sure that none of those pesky zombies made their way to Henry, as much as he liked the idea of the Plegian screaming for help.

And leave it to the said Plegian to break the silence, and cut the stagnant air with his lilting voice.

"Too bad, Honeybuns, that you can't attack from afar~ One day, a bunch o' mages will _blow _your entire head off your body, and set the rest of ya on fire!"

The white-haired male cackled, casting Ruin on a few undead fighters in the distance. They were not even close to scraping either of the males with their axes, but their very presence irritated Henry, and he had no qualms about killing something a second time.

They screeched, still human like in most aspects, and their dead bodies were amusing to look at.

_How funny, _Henry thought, _should I take an arm or a leg this time? _

While the dark mage was ripping off appendages from cadavers, Gaius was busy cutting down some undead pegasi and their riders, not speaking until the mighty beasts fell down in a quick stupor.

"Heh, I could say the same about _you, _you know. Magic's good and all, but when it gets down to it, there's some things that magic _can't do. _Like this, for instance." To make his point, Gaius cut through a Risen or two cleanly, his steel sword like hot metal slicing through butter. When the unearthly heads rolled off their dead bodies, the thief was satisfied with his work, and looked towards the other for a reaction.

Henry laughed, something he _loved _to do, and cast more spells on incoming foes. "_Nothing_ is magic-resistant! Unlike your itty bitty _knives, _magic doesn't cut skin deep. It can touch you, right down _here!_" To make an example of his tirade, he shot a bolt of Arcthunder through the heart of a Risen, bright yellow and white electricity crackling like a whip, and the Risen fell down groaning, keeling over in death.

This need to one-up each other intensified as the two males tried to spite each other by purposely avoiding enemies, allowing each other to get hurt. Henry could have easily killed that dark mage, but instead he let it scorch off the ends of Gaius' cape, as well as the back of his legs, with a simple Elfire spell. And Gaius, in return, could have offed one of the fighter Risen, but instead he let the dead man encroach Henry, decking the Plegian boy in the side of his head. Henry yelped and fell down, but quickly and angrily set the offender on fire.

It got to the point where they might as well have killed each other, to save the trouble of the Risen doing it.

And they immediately started to regret their decisions, once the little tricks had gone too far. The enemies started multiplying before them, and the hits they were taking out of sheer recklessness set them back, and made the Risen much more powerful in their eyes.

_I can't believe this happened, _Henry thought to himself, smile contrasting his inner thoughts. _Over some sweets? What a child! _

Still, he had no time to mess around. Henry tightened his grasp around his tomes, feeling their pulsating energy in his fingertips. Even if it would mean burning through all his spells, he would do it if it would eradicate the hoard before him. He would show them, _and _Gaius, that magic could do anything.

Even if his spells were not being as effective as he wanted them to. The magic was potent, powerful, but his aim was poor as his body was weakening due to the damage he sustained, and his casting suffered as a result. After all, magic is directly linked it its user's body and soul, and without a strong determination, the power would run astray, deign itself useless in a time where Henry needed to use it the most.

And dark mages like Henry were often praised for their higher defense, in comparison to their other mages. So even if his attacks missed here or there, he could tolerate it because it would take more than a clumsy swing of an ax or a sword to bring him down.

It would take at least _multiple _swings.

He took a step back, and assessed the situation. He had brought four books in all, an Arcthunder, Arcfire, Elfire, and Nosferatu. He had burned through the first two like nothing, and once his Nosferatu was gone (because there were fewer pages in it than the Elfire), all he would have left would be a simple spell that could not do its job of wiping out the remaining set of enemies.

_Well, lemme heal up some before I think about that!_

Nosferatu was his favorite spell. It had a beautifully wicked quality that gave lost life back to its user, that drained the enemy of energy whilst bolstering Henry's own health. The beauty of it also lied in its limitations, and without thinking, the dark mage burned through every last page in the tome.

It did its job, at least. The onslaught of Risen was lessened considerably, but the approaching enemies were not comforting in the least. With only an Elfire left at his disposal, the Plegian realized they had to make a quick getaway, before their bodies joined the battlefield as decorations.

It occurred to Henry that he had disregarded his partner for too long, as well. Hopefully he did not die the horrible death like Henry joked he would, but whether or not he was still alive and breathing was nearly impossible to tell from his angle. He bounded across the field, dodging the dead bodies and splattered blood, wondering if his own crimson was mixed in there somewhere.

He fought the urge to take the dead limbs as his trophies, focusing on Gaius who was surprisingly more important to him at the moment.

And when Henry found him, everything was as he feared it would be.

Gaius was surrounded by the last group of Risen, a half of dozen dark mages with Nosferatu tomes. Their dark and dead forms hung like fog, circling the thief who lay hindered, wounded on the ground. Through the gaps in their formation, Henry could see the true fear etched on Gaius' face, the doubt and darkness that pulled at his handsome features. The cloud of worry that clung onto his form, making him nearly tremulous in the wake of his enemies.

Henry saw them closing in on him, and at that rate the Ylissean would be but a forgotten memory, a casualty in the long battle of war.

How many of Henry's former Plegian allies had faced the same fate? How many of his once-fellow soldiers, allies, and comrades have fallen to the sheer numbers of the enemy? Granted, Henry never cared for those people, the soldiers that had families and friends but had died for the twisted kingdom of Plegia. He never thought twice about never seeing them again, never hearing their voices.

But Gaius' voice, among others, would be lost in a sea of Risen screams, and his eyes would never live to glare daggers into Henry's face again. There would be no pecan pies or sharp knives if Gaius died, there would be nothing left of him except the image of his life being drained away until it was a husk of its former self.

He had to _do _something. Anything.

Without a second thought, Henry shot spheres of Elfire in the general direction, burning the backsides of the undead, bringing their attention away from the injured thief.

Said thief was surprised that he was still alive, eyes wide as his enemies turned their back in order to face Henry.

Henry met Gaius' gaze, dark ebony connecting with the deep green. In that moment, Henry felt like he understood Gaius more than ever before, and called out to him with a playful leer.

"What's the matter, Honeybuns?" He yelled. "Tired already?"

His answer did not come as quickly, as his focus was diverted by the dark mages, he casted Nosferatu at him with an angry vengeance. Their groans signified their displeasure, their movements surprisingly lively as they teemed up on Henry. The dark mage did his best, but he could only have brought down four of six enemies, just as the last page of Elfire slipped out from the empty binding.

Now he was completely defenseless, and his heart ached hollowly in his chest. The Risen were fair enough to start the assault right away, pounding down on Henry's weakened body without any hesitation. With each blast of Nosferatu, there was a numbing sensation that started to grow heavily, weakening his stance and paralyzing his body.

It was not before long when the dark mage was cornered, back pressed into a large oak tree that he did not notice earlier, front facing the last of the pesky Risen, each with full tomes in their hands. One look into their glowing hands said it all.

_This is it, _Henry thought, _well, it was fun while it lasted. _

In this moment, there was only one thing that Henry could do. _Smile. _Smile, and hope that the expression never fades. The smile which was so blatantly forced, so sadly construed, hung on his face like a damaged decoration, threatening to break entirely underneath the weight of sorrow and regret.

_Gods_, he wanted to cry. To scream. But he never really understood what it meant to do either of those things, so he just kept smiling.

The gesture became genuine at some point, and he did not know why. Perhaps it was when he heard the righteous sound of metal cutting clean through flesh, or when he saw the mages fall into dismembered pieces in front of him. Maybe his smile became real when he felt the cold spray of blood, as well as the lasting remnants of magic, spatter on his face.

His smile became real when he saw Gaius' injured, ragged figure standing across from him, a heavily stained sword in his right hand. The very sword that made mince meat of Henry's would-be killers, the same sword that Henry was sure could not pierce through magic.

_Shame on me for underestimating him._

"What's the matter, Junior?" Gaius echoed back at him, smiling in spite of himself. "Tired already?"

"You got me," Henry muttered, dropping to his knees. His vision shook, fading away into black without fail.

The last thing Henry felt was the soft surface of bloodied grass, and his limp hands unfurling from the empty Elfire tome, just as he succumbed to the darkness of slumber.


	3. Breaks and Bones

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening, nor anything in the Fire Emblem franchise!_

_This chapter contains some detailed injury and some gore._

* * *

Gaius' memory hazed over, and his body, bedraggled and beaten in every sense, moved like a slow working machine. His limbs were monotonous, awkwardly bent but somehow moving swiftly enough to warrant efficiency.

His head was null of thought. There was nothing there except the void which begged for sleep and rest. He could not give in, however. With an incapacitated Henry at his side, he had to stay awake for _both _of their sakes. The trek back to the Shepherds' camp was miles away, and the sun was already setting. If he faltered now, they would be doomed for sure.

Wordlessly, Gaius picked up the dark mage, struggling to balance his weight on his back. Gaius adjusted him so that Henry's body was propped up on him, arms snaking around the boy's legs to keep him up. A head full of white hair fell onto the thief's body, but he ignored the itching feeling, as well as the extra weight on his shoulders.

In doing this, the Ylissean had to leave his sack of thievery behind. It was full of necessary weapons and candy, among other things, but it would be impossible to carry both the bag and Henry simultaneously. For Gaius, there was only time to grab a new sword to put on his holster, as well as a couple of mints.

Everything else in there, keepsakes and all, were left behind. And as much as it irked Gaius to leave his belongings, he had to ignore them for now, and focus on walking the uncertain path home, instead.

All was silent, and the only thing that assured him that he was even still alive was the sound of Henry's dull heartbeat against his back, and the soft breathing that escaped his nose.

...

Time passed. Gaius did not notice, but the orange colors in the sky faded to a deep purple, and then blacked out entirely. The sky was cloudy, with only obscure moonlight shining through the gray mass. Each step forward was like walking through coals, but Gaius had no choice but to ignore the profuse burning sensation in his calves, as well as the shaking motions that otherwise threatened to topple him over.

He had to ignore, ignore, _ignore. _Because if he lost even a second to his pain, he would crumple over like a paper doll, dooming both Henry and himself.

By some miracle in and of itself, Gaius stumbled off of the forest path, and found the hard stone road underneath his feet. The towering trees were lost as a clearing came into view. The moonlight which guided them was lackluster compared to the glow of torches and campfires.

Up ahead was the Shepherds' camp, with tents lined up like a beige row of eggs. Further out was someone running to meet him, and judging from the frantic voice he guessed it was Robin.

Anything the tactician was saying was lost, however. And Gaius slowly forced himself to keep walking, ignoring everything as his feet dragged on listlessly.

It was to no avail as Gaius felt one last shock of warmth spike through his legs before he fell over, face first, into the stone cold ground.

He was unconscious.

...

_You'll never forget, will you? Scum of the earth you are, remember your sins._

_That's what you get for trying to be nice. You're only in this mess because you tried to help him. Sucks, doesn't it? _

_You're marked, just like us. You'll never be able to go back, you know._

_Don't run away, Gaius. Face it._

_You can't run from this, Gaius. No matter how far you go, this will come with you. _

_Are you even listening, Gaius? _

_Gaius...? _

"Gaius...?"

The ginger stirred, voices of dreams' past ringing in his mind. He felt a gentle hand touch his own, and realized the clammy sweat he was building up in his palms. With great difficulty, he opened his eyes, which were stinging like they were salted. Once he blinked away watery tears, he managed to sit up, nearly hissing as he did so.

The slightest shift in movement made his legs burn up like _hellfire, _and a sharp and spiky pain shot through his bones. The more he tried to adjust, the more he made it worse, and Gaius cried out when he felt something loosen.

"I think you just undid your bandages," the voice said. Gaius' eyes were shut in agony, but he managed to recognize the voice.

_Robin? _

"No kidding," he said dryly. "Gods, _damn, _this hurts."

"Sorry. I'll reapply them."

"Please," the thief muttered under his breath. "What even happened...?"

"The Risen, I suppose?" Robin offered sadly. "I was foolish to send the two of you out there. Look what happened," they gently unwrapped the loosened bandages, revealing a scarlet brand of flesh which burnt and bled with too much ease. It caused a strange and simultaneous feeling of warmth and cold within Gaius, and seeing the injury in full made him shudder.

"Bubbles, that's not your fault, y'know. Henry and I, we..."

"You can tell me about it later. Now, Gaius, this is going to hurt." Robin said truthfully, looking into the other with a sincere, earthy stare. "Please brace yourself."

Gaius watched as the other took out a tub of medicine and slathered some of the burn cream on their hands. It smelled like alcohol and licorice.

"Ready?"

"Bubbles, you're killin' me. Just do it already, it's fine."

"Alright, then."

They were moving as quickly as possible, making sure to smother the raw injury with the remedy. Gaius had every urge to scream or thrash, because the healing substance felt like acid against his fresh wounds, and the texture of it clung to him like fat. It was only through his incredible self-control that he was able to hold himself back, although he could not resist a quiet yelp or two.

Each continuing second was another one spent in pain. He supposed that he would be grateful for it soon, and sighed out when Robin finished applying the medicine, and started wrapping his legs up in new bandages instead. He felt immediate relief.

"You didn't scream."

"You thought I would?"

"You looked like you wanted to."

Gaius chuckled in spite of himself, shaking his head side to side. "I _really_ wanted to. It felt like you were branding me, Bubbles. What kind of medicine is _that, _anyways?"

"A new salve recently made by the army's doctors. It hurts, but it's fast acting, and it saves us the trouble of spending more staves."

"How fast is 'fast-acting'?"

"That depends. Could you try to bend your legs?"

He stared at his legs, worried they would recoil in agony again, but was pleasantly surprised when they stretched out without so much as a _sting _of pain.

Gaius smiled, and started shaking his legs back and forth. "Wow, really works. Before it hurt just to touch them."

"See? Medicine works wonders. But it's getting late now, so you should probably get back to sleep."

"Alright." Gaius lowered his head, and tried to relax in his cot as much as possible. His gaze fell to his arm, and he noticed a multitude of bandages along its length, including gauze wrapped around where his mark should be.

His _criminal _mark.

"Bubbles, wait."

The tactician paused mid-step, looking back at their friend. "Yes?"

"Did anyone see it? My arm..."

"Oh, _that. _No, of course not. _I _put those bandages there. I told Maribelle not to touch it, either. Don't worry, Gaius. I haven't forgotten my promise to keep your secret."

"Thanks, Bubbles. That means a lot to me, really. But you said 'Maribelle'. Twinkles is coming by?"

"Yes, of course. She was the one that was taking care of you while you were out. She also recommended that new salve for treatment in the first place."

Gaius scoffed. _Of course _Maribelle would suggest the most painful treatment her noble little mind she could think of. For the grievances that the thief caused her in the past, he supposed some back-biting medical treatment was of little price to pay.

"I wouldn't put it past her."

"Be nice to her, okay? I am aware you have your differences, but that seems to be a common occurrence with you."

A derisive snort, and the Ylissean rolls his eyes. "What is _that _supposed to mean?"

"Naturally, not everyone can get along. You and Maribelle have your obvious differences, but more evident was the conflict between you and Henry."

_Henry. _His name alone made the thief irritated, even if it was their petty fight that caused their downfall in the first place. But he supposed that he was not the only one who got hurt in that incident, and that somewhere across the camp, the dark mage was going through the exact same thing.

_So I'll cut him some slack, _Gaius decided mentally, _for now. _

"Was it really that obvious?"

"Ricken told me that you beat him within an inch of his life, but that he had done some pretty nasty things to you, too."

"_Nasty _doesn't cut it. That kid tried to kill me multiple times, you know."

"You can tell me all about it tomorrow, Gaius." Robin sighed, then turned their back on him. "Get some rest, okay?"

"Okay, fine. But as soon as I'm well, you've gotta hear me out. That damned guy is a menace, I tell you."

Robin chuckled, and dragged their feet as they opened the flaps of the tent. Through the visible space, Gaius could see the velvety sky, dyed a royal blue and decorated with stars that shined like pearls. Reflected in that sky was the endless possibilities of tomorrow, and the wishes of today.

He wondered if it would even matter to wish on it, or if his wish could be heard from his small tent. But Robin's silhouette was entirely regal, what with their robes flying out behind them and their milk white hair being tousled by late night wind. And in that moment, the tactician was put in front of a backdrop of the sky, the camp, and the air.

Just looking at them was enough to make Gaius almost believe that he could put all of this behind him, that their words were enough to reassure him that tomorrow was still bright.

"Like I said, I'll listen to you when I can. But don't forget, Gaius."

They turned around, dark eyes glinting with a strange sort of wisdom, lips curling into a smile that brought about an uneasy trust.

"There's two sides to a story."

_..._

_Drip, drip._

Oh, _that _was a sound Henry knew well. The sound of blood, guts, and _worse, _sliding and slipping until they crashed onto the concrete floors, until they dyed every color a sickening shade of red and black. It was the sound of life falling away, dropping into a heavy cage of death where everything would go silent.

Everything but thoughts. Wherever Henry was, for whatever reason he was there, it was dark and empty and the _mess _called his mind spilled out, storming his thoughts and spreading feelings everywhere like broken shards.

_Drip, drip. _

More blood, more blood. It was _his _blood, was it not? Henry could feel it, the blood cascading out of him, the core of his life being chipped away like marble.

The question was, why was he dying, _again? _How many times would he stare this endless oblivion in the eye, and be swallowed up in the void of its unending agony?

And his life, his precious, broken life, was being pulled away from him. Snatched from his outstretched hands, being ripped to shreds until nothing was there but fibers of sticky, wet veins and meaty, stringy strips of his blackened heart.

In that sick and twisted moment, he felt his breathing, which was shallow and rapid and bare. But he had also remembered a flying sensation where a cool breeze was enveloped him, and the warmth of someone's body was near him. This was the closest to heaven Henry could get to.

But alas, he would never go there for real. A person like him, buried in his own sins and murder, could never make it to a place of such pure euphoria.

Despite that, Henry decided it would be better to stay where he was. In the haze of his body and mind, he could hear Ricken yelling desperately at him, in an attempt to bring the dark mage back to reality.

For a few seconds, Henry mustered the strength to lift his head, and flashed the other a very unconvincing smile.

It all disappeared when his head lulled to the side, and he was once again swallowed up by the darkness.

...

_You've brought your mother and I so much agony. _

_All you can do is smile and laugh, well I'm sick of it. _

_My son, I cannot call you that anymore. We're leaving you. _

_Idiot, idiot, idiot! You've ruined everything! You and your stupid smile! Damn it all to hell! _

_Henry, remember that this is all your fault. You had better hope to Naga that your sins are forgiven. _

_If I ever see you again, damned child, I will kill you! Do you hear me? I will KILL you. _

_Henry..._

"Henry..."

A soft voice called out to him, acting as the beacon in the sea of his mind. And yet, even with such clarity reaching for him, he still felt ambiguity climb up his ankles, snake up his legs and dig itself into his core. The sluggish slumber was far more inviting than the shores of the awakened.

"Henry, please..."

The beacon was shaking, its light shimmering in the far off distance. _Go away, _Henry wanted to say. _I'm sleepin', can't you see? Don't you know it's rude to try and wake up monsters? _

But none of those words reached the surface, or even floated off from their stagnant roots. Those words were poison, laced with a lethal truth and disparate lie. Henry felt it suffocating him, the entrails of his own despair and pettiness rising to choke him, to hurt him.

_This is all my fault, anyways. _

"Henry, wake up!"

The voice could beg all it wanted. Henry did not move in the slightest. There was no use in trying to wake him, anyways. At least, not when his very being was being drugged and dragged to a world where sleep invited broken memories and lost promises. Not when he could feel the Plegian blood inside of him boil and dare to spew hate and self-sacrificial animosity.

Not when he was so weak.

"In five minutes," he slurred, "I promise."

And he delved into the dark again, losing all but himself in the unconscious.


	4. Games and Grabs

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening, nor anything in the Fire Emblem franchise!**

**Ratings/Warnings: T. Swearing, dark themes, blood, violence. Henry-stuff. **

**Pairings: Gaius/Henry. Henry/Ricken &amp; Gaius/Robin platonically.**

**Other: Thank you guys for reading and liking this fic! It means a lot to me! This chapter is a bit more calm, I think. Also, sorry about the wait! School's surely something...**

* * *

When Henry woke up, he found himself staring up into the eyes of Lissa. Bright as the morning sky, and as wide as a doe's; on any occasion he would be flattered, or unmoved by the Princess' whimsy.

But, in the wee hours of waking, topped with the strain and exhaustion he felt previously, it was an understatement to say that Henry was _nervous, _and easily startled.

"Aiyeee!"

"Aaah!" Lissa shrieked in response to the mage's sudden outburst, taking a step back. "Henry, what the heck was _that_ for?!"

The Plegian sat up in his seat, pale hand placed over his chest. "Lissa! You nearly gave me a heart attack! It could burst out of my body at any moment now!"

The royal girl pouted, and crossed her arms indignantly. "How is this _my _fault? You still shouldn't have screamed to begin with! But..." she put her arms back down, and flicked the boy in the head.

"...You seem to have recovered well."

"Did I? I can't tell. What time is it?"

"A little past noon, so lunchtime. You came in the middle of the night, though, so it hasn't been that long, really."

"Hehehe! I get it! Thanks for taking care of me~" Henry gratified, smiling wider (if possible). "Am I good to go? Or am I so messed up I have to stay in here?"

Lissa, who seemed most unappreciative of the morbid comments, answered: "You're fine. It took a lot of medicine, but I figured the sooner I could get you back up and running, the sooner I can get rid of ya. Let's grab some lunch in the mess hall!"

The white-haired boy smiled, and after sitting up, swung his legs over the cot. "Sounds great to me! Y'think I can hex the chicken to make it alive again?"

"Absolutely not! Even if you can, if you _do _that I'll punch you! Or worse," Lissa threatens, heading towards the exit of the tent.

Henry giggled, and slowly got to his feet in a feeble attempt to catch up with her. But she seemed to be halfway out the tent already. "Oh, how can you make things any worse?"

She pauses in midstride, and turns to give Henry a nasty glare.

"You wanna see?"

"No, ma'am!"

* * *

Lunchtime was always loud. The soldiers were usually animated, boisterous, and _hungry, _making the gathering one of merriment and camaraderie. The smell of various foods wafted in and out; the tables were cluttered with units and their personal objects. People showed off weapons, tomes, or treasures received in battle. Small talk and tall tales were crafted in between bites. Card games and gambling ensued whilst the players ate hot food, and bet away more money than they could afford.

It was always a fun time.

Henry, for all his strangeness, usually didn't have trouble finding a table now. When he first enlisted, people avoided him as he was a 'Plegian', and a 'traitor'. It wasn't until months passed and passed, that people realized the boy was no different than any other mage, save his affinity for dark arts and morbid sense of humor.

And now, there was always a place for him to sit.

His body was mostly healed from the ordeal a few days ago, but a few scars stayed as reminders of the fight. If the Plegian was honest, he would admit that only half of that battle was memorable, and he was too giddy and damaged to remember the rest.

The moments he shared with Gaius, however, were unforgettable.

_I especially loved the part when he saved me from getting fried to death! _

And, speak of the devil, Henry (for all his judgement was worth) decided to take a seat next to _Gaius _of all people.

It was a bit strange, see. This area of the mess hall was filled with gamblers and heavy drinkers, tricksters and petty bards. An area that produced the most noise, Henry hadn't ever really had a chance to sit here.

Something from the way Gaius stared at him, however, told him that he didn't have much of a choice.

"Gutsy of you to show your face 'round here, Junior," the ginger calls out, reaching down from his seat to scratch at the sides of his legs. A steaming bowl of soup, accompanied by crackers, lay in front of him on the wooden table. Most noticeable was the pile of sweets next to that, though.

"I felt like a change~ Besides, I haven't cursed any of _you _guys before."

A few of the other stragglers muttered awkwardly, and gave hawkish looks that silently called out: 'You better not curse anyone.'

Henry ignored such looks.

"Well, if you're not gonna play I suggest you give up your spot to another sucker. I plan on reelin' in some big cash to make up for my losses."

"Flosses?" Henry asked, "You lost your floss?"

"_Losses,_" Gaius corrected, "and that last battle has me at quite the deficit, so it'd only make sense for me to try and break even."

"Oh, right! I heard you lost your big bag of goodies! What a shame, it was _such _a nice way to transport bodies around."

"..."

"I'm kiddin', I'm kiddin'! But hey, I wanna play, so I'm not going anywhere."

The thief snickered, as if Henry had told something that was actually amusing. He was relieved yet irritated to know Henry recovered so quickly; he was already back at his childish games again! But Gaius was no better, as he had acted as if the ordeal was an everyday scrap, and not a life-threatening battle. While it was true that most of his prized possessions were lost, he took all that really mattered with him on person.

The rest was just for fun, now.

"Your loss," Gaius warns to the mage, taking a slurp of soup. "When I'm done, I'll deal the cards and show you what to do."

"Yay! Sounds fun. Can I hex-"

"No."

"What about cur-"

"No."

"Spe-"

"_No._"

Henry sighed, and placed his elbows on the table, holding his chin in his hands. "Why not?"

"None of your petty tricks, Junior. 'Sides, wouldn't be fair to the rest of the fellas playing."

"But don't you guys cheat, anyways? What's the big deal, if I throw in a little magic?"

"Because, slipping in an ace is one thing-setting people on fire is another."

"I never said I was going to _set them on fire. _I could electrocute them, too!"

The thief sighed, but simply resumed his meal. When it was cleaned off, he had pushed the dish aside for someone else to take, and took out a deck of cards for all the players to ogle.

It was not your typical set of cards; they were special, intricately golden and furnished with fine lettering. Not to mention, they were an envied set of cards, as only ten packs of those objects were made in the entire world.

_Damn right, you better be jealous. _

He began the process that was shuffling. Gaius the Nimble was not a simple nickname, after all; he truly was the handyman, good at anything he could put his mind to. Simple card tricks were skills he had acquired since childhood, so now was a time where his skill had reached its peak. The sound of all the cards shuffling and falling on one another was like music to his ears, and no doubt the deal would be random; there were times where the ginger would slip in a fake card or two, but because of his little spiel with Henry, he felt the need to be a _little _more honest. When the cards were shuffled and sorted, so began the process of dealing them.

Henry watched, a goofy expression on his face, as the cards were practically _flying _across the tables. They all landed on top of another, as if they were placed down instead of dealt. The soldiers looked through the cards, muttering among themselves and admiring the ensemble; wondering how Gaius the Nimble even _got _a deck like this. The sounds of converse, coins, and piling change were heard next-the money needed to have this game wasn't much, but people wanted more than they needed, so needless to say months of pay and battle rewards were being put on the line.

The Dark Mage worked on keeping up with them, so he only bet a small sum compared to the other players. No one really egged him for such a flimsy bet, considering they were all worried about their _own _stakes.

How rustic!

Gaius, after finally finishing dealing the cards, picks up his hand, ordering the cards the way he liked them. "We're playin' BS first." He announces, voice resounding over the other players. A mix of 'Yes!'s and 'No!'s were heard, but Henry just scratched his head.

"What's BS?"

"It goes like this. We start with Ace of Spades, and the order goes Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, and back to Ace again. The goal is to try an' lose all your cards, and you basically gotta bluff and try to put down as many cards as possible."

"Okay. What happens if I don't have a...whatever thing I'm on?"

"Then you just lie and put something down. If one of these nougats thinks you're lying, they'll call BS on you. If you _were _lying, then you take the entire pot. All the cards. If you _weren't, _then the person who called you out gets the cards."

"Ooooh. It's like marriage!"

"..."

"Kidding, kidding. How do you place bets on BS, though?"

"Each round, we'll put in double of our first bet."

"Oh."

_Good thing I only bet, like, 40! _

"Who's gonna start this round, fellas?" The Ylissean shouts, hearing a thunderous cry of 'Let's go!' 'Let's do it!' 'I'm starting!' amid a crowd of lowlifes.

The lowest life, though, was Henry-and for once he stayed silent, only smiling in response.

_How funny. _

* * *

The game went by swiftly, and _quietly, _much to Henry's surprise. He expected these groupies to be as loud as loud could be, but evidently there were times where even the brightest sparks went dim.

Henry was scared that he was _breathing too loudly, _in comparison to the overwhelming silence around him.

A few of the lesser soldiers looked nervous and sweaty, looking up as Gaius had placed down, what he claimed to be, "three 6's."

_Somebody _wanted to call out BS, but nobody wanted to lose their bets. Henry noticed that Gaius' card stock was dwindling, meaning victory was closing in for Sticky-Fingers Gaius. Should he risk his own bets (which had quadrupled twice over, over the lapse of the game time.) for the sake of trying to prove _him _wrong? Wouldn't it just be another cheap retake of their battle, where they try to outdo each other?

_But, this is a game! There's no blood involved here, at least not yet..._

Despite having been 'well recovered' as Lissa had said, Henry still felt off-kilter. (more so than usual.) Perhaps it was the fatigue that had finally caught up to him again. But how could he be so sleepy, when he had fainted twice over the past day? Perhaps it wasn't _sleepiness, _per se, but an _exhaustion. _His eyes didn't need to close, but his body needed a respite badly.

_Oh, but that's no fun. _

Whilst thinking over his problems, Henry didn't realize his turn had come around again. He had to ask for what number they were on, and Gaius quickly answered:

"Lucky number seven. Let's see if ya got any luck left in you, Junior."

The Plegian smiled, but silently worried on the inside.

He had no sevens left on him.

All he had was two sixes, a Jack, and an Ace. With Gaius and another person sitting so close to him, it was possible that either of the two already _knew _his hand, and this was just his turn to lose all the money he didn't even mean to wager.

_Wow! _

With a fluid motion, Henry had set down a six in place of the seven, hoping his wide grin would pass him off as truthful. With a half giggle, he called out; "One seven! He's kinda lonely, just by himself."

Everyone stared at him, trying to decipher whether or not he was telling the truth. They leaned in towards the table, faces in their hands, eyes scrutinizing the Dark Mage and everything he was, in a simple attempt to try and figure out his deceit.

No one said anything, and the next person was _about _to go next, when an oh so _familiar _voice had called out...

"BS."

Everyone silenced, watching in horror as Gaius the Nimble (he really _was as _adroit as his title had implied.) called out Henry's ploy. Everyone waited, wondering if the thief was right or not.

In that split second, Henry had a decision to make. Should he be honest, and show him the fake 'seven' he claimed to have put down, or should he _lie, _cast a quick spell on the card so it would be the seven he claimed it was? Both could be done in the next few seconds, but both had a huge effect.

First, if he chose to lie, Gaius and everyone else would lose their bets (which had grown to a _monstrous_ rate over the game's time length.), making Henry _tremendously _richer as an individual. But, if he chose the route of honesty, _Gaius _would win the round, taking all the money he _said _he would take back, and cover the losses that, in reality, were half of Henry's fault for _being _losses in the first place.

The real question was, how much _emotion _could be felt in his damaged body, how much _empathy _could he show a thief that, really, was a soft-hearted slick?

The answer came, when Henry turned the card over, and everyone's jaws had dropped and voices had raised in a hysterical reaction to the reveal.

It was a six.

* * *

"I heard you and bunch of other guys lost big time to Gaius at lunch."

Ricken had repeated the situation, voice even (almost teasing) as he walked alongside his fellow mage. Henry just laughed, and rubbed the back of his head with jagged motions.

"Yeah, he got me good! I was so close, too!"

"Sure you were. You know, you could have used magic and won over everyone there. You could have won a fortune!" The red head threw his hands into the air, as if to emphasize the situation.

The darker counterpart snickered, stretching his own arms with an accompanying yawn.

"I could have. But I promised I wouldn't."

"And you actually _kept _your promise?"

"Yeah."

"That's new."

Before Henry could reply, his ears picked up on a low murmur from yards away, and he turned his head in that direction.

By Anna's tent (where she sold a myriad of merchandise. How valid they are is another matter.), Gaius could be seen smirking, speaking to his fellow thief-class about his spoils, and how his 'losses' were just a worry of the past. He seemed to be legitimately happy, in the regards that he was buying back all the things that he lost, in that he was bulking up a new bag that shined brighter than the old one.

All because he was honest.

A strange pang resounded in his chest, but Henry paid no mind to it. He grinned again, and looked back towards Ricken.

"I know."


	5. Moods and Mornings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening, nor anything in the Fire Emblem franchise! **

**Ratings/Warnings: T for darker themes (violence and the like) **

**Pairings: Henry/Gaius. Henry/Ricken &amp; Gaius/Robin platonically. **

**Other: Sorry for the long wait! The rest of 2015 kept me preoccupied. Happy new year, and thank you all for supporting and reading this fic! This chapter is a bit of a filler, I won't lie, but I promise more activity will be seen on my end.**

* * *

Time had passed. Since the gambling incident (why these events between Gaius and Henry were being called "incidents", no one knew. But perhaps it was because it was inappropriate to call them otherwise.) Henry and Gaius had reached a quiet stalemate. They weren't mocking each other like earlier, nor were they hating each other. But they certainly didn't love each other, either. There was just neutrality and a mutual understanding that, for some reason, they couldn't be like they were before.

_Before when, _Henry muses, _before we bonded over murder? Hehe..._

Nevertheless, the platinum blond would not be the one to fix things again. After all, relationships like the strange thing he had with Gaius are new to him. He wouldn't know where to begin. An apology? A joke? Past all the jokes, the dark mage realized that there wasn't much the two had in common, other than being positively infuriating towards others.

And that's not exactly a bonding quality.

At least he had Ricken. The boy was good company, and a better friend. Henry disliked admitting it, but he actually cherished the little mage-in-training, because if it wasn't for his stubbornness and (attempt at) maturity, Henry would have been in a lot more trouble than he had gotten in.

Even when the younger magic user seem exasperated half the time, it was good being with him. Even when his dark eyes were always fixated on the female comrades-Nowi, Maribelle, and even Lissa-Henry liked being around him.

And even if the Plegian throws words like 'love', 'hate', and 'like' around casually, he usually meant it when he said them. Usually.

It was unsurprising, then, the next morning. Henry had woken up in high spirits, but not knowing why. He just assumed that it was because of a good dream he had, but when he was called to a meeting after breakfast, he understood why.

For the first time in several weeks, he would be working with Gaius again. There was no explaining why he was so happy to hear that, or why his bloody laughs seemed just a bit more tranquil than usual.

* * *

Gaius, on the other hand, had been busy with his own life. Before Henry's unwanted interruptions, he had a routine. Gather honey, sugar, and sweets. Bake a little, steal a little, gamble and bicker a little. On Sundays, he sometimes went with Anna or Robin to go hunting for treasure. (Or, as Bubbles had called it, _inspection._)

His usual company were the thief-classed nobodies in the army. Sometimes Anna, sometimes Robin, even Lon'qu or Lissa or Chrom once in a while, if he was lucky. And that was fine by him, because as far as Gaius was concerned, he wasn't supposed to have any friends. War was a dangerous time, and you would be lucky to have allies, let alone friends.

But the Shepherds were different. Even though it took some time, eventually everyone would accept and understand each other. Eventually.

Needless to say, the thief was having a dandy old time in this war-wrecked land; so much, that he nearly forgot about a certain snow-haired boy, who loved laughing and making dark jokes.

Nearly.

Gaius knew that whenever things go good for him, they usually turn back around to balance things out. And one morning, he was greeted by a low sun and a bubbly Bubbles. They looked happy about something, but he didn't have the time to ask before he was interrupted.

"Good morning, Gaius."

"Mornin', Bubbles. What's got you so chipper this early?"

"Ah, about that. I'm having a briefing after breakfast today. I have an important mission, and of course-"

"-I'm part of it, right?" The ginger finished, smiling a bit. "I never doubt your intuition, so it can't go wrong."

"Thanks, Gaius. Anyways, go to my tent after breakfast. It might be a little crowded, because you're part of a bigger piece, y'see. And-oh, I'll tell you, later. There's no use blabbing it all away now."

He was amused, to say the least. While Robin was a naturally cheery person, it was rare to see them worked up like this. Giving the tactician a pat, Gaius smiled.

"Then, let's get some breakfast, yeah? I heard that Stahl's in charge this morning and that man's a godsend when it comes to food."

They laughed, but nodded along, agreeing.

"I heard the very same thing! Since we're early, we'll probably be there in time for the strawberry danishes-Gaius, wait up!"

It was useless, though. Gaius, slicker than a fox, was already halfway to the mess hall, like an orange blur bounding in the distance.

* * *

Breakfast went by swimmingly. There was something about the morning babble and food that put people in a better mood. Maybe because it _was _Stahl's doing, but the bacon was crispier, and the orange juice was fresher than usual. The long tables seemed particularly inviting, and it was little trivialities like these that could really make one forget they were fighting a war.

If only for a little while.

Henry usually found himself tagging along with Ricken these days, and even joined him when the latter took his seat around some of the younger soldiers. Lissa, Donnel, Maribelle, Nowi-even if the manakete was thousands of years old, she still had the appearance and mindset of a twelve year old-sometimes joined by a shy Olivia or an interested Miriel, all talked animatedly around Ricken.

The Plegian would chime in every now and then, but resigned himself to being passive in their conversation. After all, he hadn't really known any of them as well as Ricken had, and the way that Maribelle was looking at him was a clear cut warning against speaking out, anyways.

_Say anything out of place, you Plegian cur. I dare you. _

That unspoken sentence was made clear to Henry, whose eyes were barely open. Fluttering them open allowed a view of his obsidian irises, their tainted and dark obscurity from something more than just his magic. Lips curling up to make a semblance of a smirk, he replied wordlessly.

_Ahaha. I don't need to say anything to make you afraid of me, huh? _

The blonde girl's stare resembled that of a warped Risen, if more composed. Before their silent battle could continue, a tactician appeared at their table, summoning a few from that immediate group.

"Lissa, Maribelle, Ricken, Henry, and Miriel. Would you mind coming with me?"

Of course, no one could object when the army's strategist needed something of them. Audibly, the five of them stood up, conversing amid themselves in curiosity. From the looks of it, Robin was summoning most of the magic users.

That made Henry a bit disheartened. Although it had been a while, he was hoping to see Gaius again, for some reason. Even if the latter wanted nothing to do with Henry anymore, there was some sort of emotion (which, wow, Henry was still astonished he had those) tugging at him, taunting him in his naivety.

He would think about that later, he decided. When his best friend wasn't looking at him so concernedly.

When he wasn't being so obvious.

* * *

In Robin's tent, Henry was surprised to find more people there. Summoned by the tactician themselves, they were no doubt going to be involved in whatever outing Robin had planned.

Tharja, his fellow Plegian, sulking in the corner. She was unamused by all the _sunny _people in the tent (Lissa, Ricken, Henry himself), but probably more so by the fact that all these people would make intimate interaction with Robin impossible.

Anna, the renowned Trickster and merchant, was across from him, charismatic smile shining brightly on her poised face. Henry never thought her significant, but from what he heard from Ricken, she could cut through the enemy ruthlessly, and her incredible speed and luck made it so she never so much harbored a scratch herself.

_Someone immune from bloodshed? Haha! And here I was, thinking it was an inescapable curse. _

The other person in there was just the person that Henry was thinking about seeing. Joining Anna as the only other physical fighter in there, Gaius seemed aloof. His eyes flickered around the room, not particularly focused on anything.

Henry could take a hint. Unlike the dark mage, the thief wasn't too excited about the particular grouping. It was hard to tell, but the small shifts in his person revealed it all.

_He was uncomfortable. _And nothing amused Henry more than an uncomfortable Gaius.

Turning his attention away from the ginger, the dark mage reverted his attention to the wooden table that separated the room. A piece of fresh parchment, still scented with new ink and linen, lay unrolled across its surface. There were small, metal pieces that resembled soldiers of some sort. From Henry's understanding, there was to be a battle, and Robin was planning out possible maneuvers.

The thought of it made him smile.

_Oh, _Henry pondered gleefully, _do we get to smash heads in today? How fun! _

Before he could voice his thoughts, however, Robin spoke, enlightening everyone by doing so.

"I'm not sure how many of you are wary of this, but for a few months now, we've had run ins with bandits, stealing from town treasuries, and pilfering from our own resources now and then..."

"Oh? And here I thought we were spending our money on useful things...like tomes." Tharja deadpanned, scoffing at the situation.

"Trust me, the bandits that stole from _us _in particular are not to be worried about! I took _extra _special care of them, hehe." Anna giggled, Silver Sword glinting in its holster. Ricken visibly gulped, and Lissa laughed nervously.

"Moving on," Robin interjected, not wanting to lose control of the room, "our scouts have finally found out their base of operations. Here," they pointed to a spot on the parchment, circled in black ink.

"It's a cave not too far off from the border of Plegia and Ylisse. It's heavily forested, so it took our scouts a while to discover its exact location. These soldiers," Robin took some of the metal pieces, and placed it in the inked circle, "have been seen going in and out. Intel says that they are particularly weak to magic."

"So...that's why you gathered all the magic users? To stop the bandits?" Ricken question, adjusting his hat, "Then what about-"

"-Us?" Gaius finished, motioning to himself and Anna. "We don't use magic-"

"_You _don't use magic," Anna corrected, tapping a finger against her healing staff.

The ginger rolled his eyes. "You know what I meant, Red. _Offensive magic. _So why-"

Robin smiled, and wagged a finger. "Ah, you two are important as well. I told you, those bandits have been stealing a lot over the past few months. A large number of them have been seen going in and out. Why would so many people be in one place, unless-"

"They were hiding something. No, _guarding _it. You want us to steal it back." Gaius grinned, and Henry felt himself smiling, too.

_Wonder why. _

"Exactly. You two, being thief classes, naturally know your way around hoards and chests alike. My plan is to have the magic users deal the most damage, heavily hindering their forces, and while they are too distracted or weakened by the magic assault, the two of you take back what they stole."

Naturally, being thieves, Gaius and Anna jumped on any chance of increasing profits. The red-haired woman sported a knowing look-her trademark smile-and laughed in spite of herself.

"Of course, of course! I'm always ready to collect."

"Same here. We're ready, when you are."

Robin nodded. They expected that the thief class was always ready for action, but mages were usually less so. Especially those that have just woken up, or were skeptical entirely.

"We'll leave when the rest of you are ready. Is that alright?"

Tharja harrumphed her consent, and Lissa and Maribelle chorused an enthused "Yes!"

Ricken nodded, and looked to Miriel, who was going on about how "the natural foilage of the area is quite interesting...not to mention caves are rarer in their structure..." or something.

All that was left was Henry, who was more excited than anything. He wondered if his large grin gave it away. He was looking in Gaius' general direction, giving out a laugh when he saw the other's countenance fall.

"I can't wait."


	6. Doubts and Dreams

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening, or anything in the Fire Emblem franchise! **

**Ratings/Warnings: T for darker themes. **

**Pairings: Gaius/Henry. Henry/Ricken &amp; Gaius/Robin platonically. (also, hints of Gaius/Anna platonically)**

**Other: Aaah I actually thought about this chapter for months but never got around to writing it. It's a bit lengthy so I apologize. **

* * *

Henry thought about what to bring. Because he would be on the offense, he realized it would be important to stock up on magic. Since_ that_ day, Henry has never run out of magic whenever he went into battle. Three or four tomes accompanied him every time. Nosferatu was essential, but he also preferred the Arcfire and Arcthunder spells to the Arcwind one. Ricken was better in wind magic, anyways, and Henry always loved spells that packed more punches.

Even though he wouldn't be punching anyone. While he had the basics of self defense and various weapons training (Frederick's Fanatical Fitness Hour had is perks, despite its rigorous courses) as a dark mage, he would be physically useless.

But, Robin did tell him he had potential in the Fighter class. Henry was on his way to mastering the Dark Mage line, as he could feel it in his bones. It wouldn't be a bad idea, to second class into the fighter set; but the Plegian decided that, if they had enough money (or better yet, stole some Second or Master seals back) after this ordeal, he would soon make himself stronger.

Make himself different.

Sorcerers, after all, were virtually the same as Dark Mages, if not stronger and more resilient. He would still wear the familiar garments of his Plegian home, and that was a little comfort if any.

After a few moments, Henry realized he had been digressing, and holding up everyone as a result of it. Grabbing a Nosferatu, a Flux, an Arcthunder, and Arcfire, the Dark Mage quickly left his tent, and made way for the edge of camp, where the others were surely waiting.

He was always keeping them waiting.

* * *

Robin had Anna lead the party, as she was the best at navigating. Having been a saleswoman and traveler before joining the Shepherds, she knew the areas around them pretty easily. Even after a short briefing on where the cave was, she disregarded the map given to her, and walked on instinct.

"Gonna be slashing at more than just prices!" She cheered, hand resting on her sword. Like all Annas, she loved entrepreneurship, but her merchant relatives, she also found the thrill of the battle. Something she shared with her fellow thief-hand, Gaius, who was...

...unceremoniously falling on his face. He was in the back of the party, but some squabble with Maribelle caused him to be pushed onto Lissa and Henry, resulting in the three of them falling awkwardly.

While the royal girl fell a little ways off from the other two, Gaius and Henry were spared nothing but humiliation.

Gaius toppled, landing askew, but on top of Henry nonetheless. The Dark Mage could barely protest, as a stronger body forced him to the ground, the blond landing roughly on his back, rocks and dirt pressing into the thin fabric of his clothes.

Worse than the rocks, however, was the elbow that Henry felt in his side. It was undoubtedly Gaius', and although Henry loved death, he _hated _pain. A yelp escaped him, as he writhed under the heavier body.

It was an embarrassing scene, really. It had the potential to be funny or romantic or some sorry mix of the both, but instead it was awkward, and the other six members had mixed reactions.

Tharja was giggling, enjoying the agony the two males were probably feeling. Lissa looked apologetic, as if her tripping had caused their discomfort. Maribelle was scolding them, saying that they "hurt her dear Lissa" and whatnot. Miriel seemed entirely disinterested, as she hadn't even looked up from her book in the first place. Anna gave a small smile, not out of pity, but out of amusement.

Ricken was the only one with the consideration to help. First, he offered a hand to Gaius, who politely refused and got up on his own volition. The mage moved onto the Plegian, and extended a hand.

"Honestly, be careful, all of you. We're not even there and we're already getting hurt..."

The pale boy grabbed the mage's hand, and hoisted himself up. Picking the rocks out of his backside, Henry sighed.

"Yeah, I hate ouchies. Whose fault was that, anyways?"

Gaius grumbled, and turned his unamused gaze towards Maribelle, who seemed to be rather apathetic. "Twinkles, was it really necessary to push me?"

"Of course it was. You had the gall to place your filthy hands on my person!"

"It was your shoulder, Gods above! I was going to talk to you-"

"That, you lowlife, is where you are wrong. I do not wish to speak to the likes of you, _especially _someone of _your _caliber. You already know how I see you in my eyes. We are allies in name only. Do not test me."

Her strong, unwavering voice silenced the loudest of them. (Except Miriel, who, again, has not lifted her gaze once.) The only sound was the turning of pages, and their footsteps on the dirt path.

Henry was intrigued. What made Maribelle so temperamental? The woman had a short fuse to begin with, but the way she lashed out at Gaius was different.

It was personal.

And if Henry wasn't on such weird terms with Gaius, he probably would have gotten an answer from him if he asked. But their relationship _was _strained, somehow, and he figured he didn't earn the right to ask such questions.

So, the white-haired boy pressed on, eyes closed as he followed the footsteps of the others.

As Ricken tried to tell a poor joke to lift the mood, only one thought settled itself in Henry's mind.

_Boy, this is gonna be a loooong day! _

* * *

A few hours passed, and the sun hit its highest point in the sky. It was early afternoon, no doubt, and if the party of eight could proceed with haste, then they could sweep the caves and be done with their mission by nightfall.

Of course, theirs was the most dysfunctional group possible, so there was no chance of that happening. Even Anna saw futility in speed-she did, however, wonder if she could steal all the money and just head back to camp without the others.

But, that was dishonorable (she wasn't technically a thief, but a Trickster) and Robin would yell at her to no end. Or lecture her about how money wasn't everything. Whichever was worse.

She wasn't the only red head in disconcert, though. Ricken was uneasy himself. He chatted with Lissa and Maribelle, speaking of trivial matters and avoiding the topic of the mission altogether. He thought about how much more heroic it would have been, if it was just him. Then Chrom would stop regarding him so childishly. But, that was impossible. Ricken would never be strong enough to solo out whatever ideas Robin needed (although, no sole Shepherd could fulfill any mission on their own) as he was barely strong enough, even _with _help.

Things seemed inevitable, in this case. Perhaps he could do well to defend his blonde friends, however. Lissa and Maribelle, upper class and high caliber and whatnot, were still in their healer classes, which effectively meant they couldn't do much of anything on their own.

At least, not against _these _enemies. These bandits were weak to magic, and whatever combat skills either girl had wouldn't be good against seasoned thieves.

It was a topic that Lissa got into, also. Her bright eyes narrowed in worry. She walked between Ricken and Henry, Maribelle close behind her. Looking to her right, a sudden inquiry spouted.

"Henry, do you think I'm helpful?"

Up to this point, the Dark Mage had been preoccupied with his own thoughts. Ramblings of how to cast a curse that would allow someone to shapeshift at will. Back at the orphanage, there was tales of a man who could turn into a crow, and Henry had seen it for himself. So, with enough practice-

"Henry."

_Oh? The Little Princess needs me? _

Snapping back into reality, he smiled in her general direction.

"That's my name! Need something?"

"You weren't listening, ugh. I asked, do you think I'm helpful?"

"That's a strange question. Why are you asking _me _that?"

"Well, Robin said magic users and thieves were important in this mission. But my magic isn't offensive-will I be of any use at all? Not to mention in general, I'm always at the back, and-"

"Hey, hey! That's loser talk! You're _super _important! Without you and Maribelle, no one would heal our wounds. I'm 100% sure the Shepherds would have died of injuries, if not in battle."

The girl perked up, bouncing a little as she did so. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, I-"

"Of _course _he means it, darling Lissa. After all, if he was simply lying to gain your trust through flattery, I would have to deal with him, wouldn't I?" Maribelle piped in, holding her parasol in a very menacing way.

Henry took it as a good sign, because since her outburst from earlier, she hadn't spoken to anyone. _Probably embarrassed to death about it! Ah, death..._

"Yes, m'am!" Henry said obediently, laughing as he did so. The atmosphere lifted significantly.

For most people, anyways. Gaius was still strangely indifferent, eyes glued on nothing in particular. Anna noticed this, and playfully poked him in the side.

"Oi, Red. You shouldn't poke a man when he's thinkin'."

"Is that what you're doing? Here I was, thinking you're just pouting and being _real _boring. This isn't like you, Gaius."

"Guess not. Just gotta lot of things on my mind."

"I hear ya. Think of all that _gold _in those caves. And the chests."

The ginger sighed. Of course, that was on his mind, but it was insignificant to the _real _matters at hand-not that his red-haired companion would know too terribly about that.

He dismissed her with a simple "Yeah." and pretended that Miriel's book was slightly more interesting as he peered over her shoulder.

Upon inspection, he realized he couldn't even understand one sentence of it, and looked away when Anna's interest was elsewhere.

Between everyone's naivety and cheery tunes, Gaius was feeling pretty annoyed. He figured it was because of Henry-although the initial thought of _Why? _bothered him. Maybe because, after so long of being absent of the boy's presence, having him near the thief just reminded him of how much trouble Henry had caused him to begin with.

_What a bullshit answer, _he thought, _I don't give a damn. Junior's just messing with me again. _

Even though 'Junior' hadn't directly spoken to Gaius. Was his influence over him so strong, he didn't need words to affect him?

Gaius stopped thinking about it. He just stopped thinking. Moving mindlessly, fighting blinding and relying on speed, power, and instinct alone was more of Lon'qu's style (or, as Gaius called him, 'Mister Super Swordsman'), Gaius thought that he could rely on that technique for this battle. The sudden weight of his thoughts would slow him down, and if he had to abandon them to be efficient, so be it.

There were, after all, so many things he never thought twice about. The crimes that forced him to get a tattoo, the framing of a certain duchess' father in order to assure her safety, the feeling he gets in his stomach when a certain dark mage is around...

If those things were instinct, then he figured he could rely on them more.

There was no reason not to.

* * *

The thieves inside were more than aware of their current situation. There was about fifty of them in total, with a few of the bigger builds acting as the leaders.

They've known about the Ylissean scouts, spying on them the past few weeks. Many times, the lower ranks would question why they didn't kill them on the spot, why they didn't stop them from taking information back to the Shepherds.

"Because," one of their leaders boomed, large and stout, "that's exactly what we want! Knowin' the Shepherds, they'll send a couple o' their soldiers, thinking we're easy bait. This is the perfect opportunity to take in lives, or better yet, hostages. I'm brilliant, right?"

The henchmen couldn't protest, and gave a low chorus of approvals.

True, they did have a large number, and because of their location, the Ylisseans couldn't send in their entire army. But the tales of the Shepherd's skilled warriors didn't go untold, and they could only hope that there weren't any magic users on their way.

* * *

They finally arrived. The caves, unmarked and unknown to most of the world due to the heavy forests.

Forests so heavy, that half of their inhabitants seemed to flock around Ricken instantly.

He was mostly teased by the other party members, but Miriel was entirely enthralled.

"Intriguing. The animalia of this land have grown an attachment to you. Why? Some sort of natural distinctness? A psychophysiological attraction? Or perhaps a spell, one that increases affinity with unrelated species-"

"Nah, Miriel. They just like me, is all." Ricken quickly interrupted, to prevent the scholar from asking too many questions. A deer walked beside him, and he gave the creature comforting pats behind its ear.

" 'Just like you', as you put it. And yet, even a skilled veterinarian or tamer would have to struggle to befriend or captivate this many animals at once. Is it a food you consume, perhaps? I could trace this back to certain-"

"That woman never shuts up, does she." Tharja murmured darkly, walking besides Henry. This entire time, she devoted herself to her own thoughts, not wanting to be around such people, even if they were her fellow mage class. She saw enough of them at Frederick's Fanatical Fitness Hour, anyways.

"She's just passionate! I can talk a lot too, if it's about crows. Or death. Or blood. Or a bloody death-"

"Sigh. And here I was, thinking speaking to you would be better for my head. It's not."

Henry laughed. The caves in front of him seemed normal. Dark, dirt-filled, probably housing many bats and rats. Even if it was for hiding something, he would never want a dingy place like this.

Lissa was the first one to actually step inside. She was wary, and followed by Maribelle's overly concerned comments.

"Be careful, darling. If these troglodytes have half a brain, they would probably set up traps. Be careful. Lissa, be careful."

"I know, I know." She sighed, feeling the rocks. "Even if it was a trap, they're not doing a good job. Nothing sticks out."

Maribelle followed inside the cave, poking her surroundings with the end of her parasol. Ricken winced whenever a rock or something dislodged, as he feared it was a trap.

Henry ogled a rotting carcass, some poor animal left near the opening. "Hey, Tharja! Let's cast a curse with this!"

"Idiot. And who would we curse? Our allies? The enemies? We need names, Henry."

"Well, let's save it until the battle. Knowing these guys, they'll probably announce their names all high 'n' mighty."

"Probably. Will it even work? Stronger curses prefer live sacrifices."

"It will, trust me!"

"I won't."

"Ouch."

"Hey, you two eggheads." Gaius called out, bringing the Plegians back to their reality. "They're going on ahead without you, and I will too if you don't hurry the hell up."

The two dark mages sighed, and stood up, following suit after the others in the darkness.

In the unknown.

* * *

Ricken used an Elfire to create light, and noticed that there were gems aligned in the earth around the cave walls and floors.

However, they weren't sparkling, nor colorful. In fact, they looked as if someone had drained the color and shine out of them.

"Strange," Miriel mused, "what would cause this anomaly? From my experience with geologic matters, even in this darkness a natural color from the jewels would be visible..."

"Hey, they chip off pretty easy!" Anna cried out, cutting a piece out with her sword. "How much do you think they'll sell for?"

"I dunno, but let's not waste time," Lissa piped up, "it's getting stuffier in here. And cramped."

"I agree, the sooner we finish, the better. Lissa, darling, stay in the back with me. It's where we work best, after all."

"About that, Maribelle, what do you say we reclass after this?"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, like, we'd have so much money and stuff after, right? We could buy Master Seals or something..."

"And do what?"

"Well, I heard the Sages and Valkyries use both healing magic and offensive magic. We could try that-or be War Clerics with really awesome axes!"

"No axes," Maribelle insisted, "such heavy weapons would simply hinder us. But the others sound interesting, maybe if we-"

"Uuum, we have to beat the bad guys before we talk about winning." Ricken interrupted, adjusting his hat again. "I mean, what if we're outnumbered?"

"As long as me and Anna are here, you'll be fine." Gaius insisted, "We have the edge."

"You say that now," Henry joined in, making everyone stare at him, "but let's not be too hasty~ Remember the _last _time we were outnumbered?"

The atmosphere changed drastically. Like a taboo had been said, but it was simply fact. The last time Henry and Gaius were in a similar situation, things took a turn for the worst.

Henry knew this, dammit. Gaius stared at him, irritated that he would bring that up. _What's his problem, seriously? _

Tharja, growing increasingly impatient by the minute, took this awkward silence as an opportunity to do her own thing. She noticed one of the jewels embedded in the wall. It had the mark of Plegia on it, and that worried her. Placing a palm on the jewel, she stepped back in surprise.

The jewel lit up, its dull gray illuminated by a bright, colorful green. Then, the surrounding jewels also changed color. Purples, yellows, reds, blues and oranges-myriads of color surged through the jewels, as if they were all brought to life.

Everyone was shocked. Ricken put out his Elfire, its flame no longer needed as the dark cave turned into a mine of precious, light-filled jewels.

Anna looked in her hand. The piece she cut off was a very pleasing shade of magenta, and her lips curled into a satisfied smile.

"Cha-ching! This is our lucky day! After we beat these guys, we should _totally _think about an excavation. Turn it into a contest for the locals-who can mine the most jewels? And then..."

"Red, let's focus first. These jewels won't be worth anything if we're chased out or worse, we lose." Gaius spoke, bringing sense back into the awe-filled group.

"Oh, fine." The Trickster pouted, and pressed on forward with a new speed. "Come on, soonest done, soonest begun!"

Lissa and Maribelle, past their initial wonder, weren't impressed anymore. As women of higher status, they've seen and owned their fair share of precious jewels.

Henry sometimes was brought little jewels as gifts from crows, so he could give this new discovery a sidelong glance, as well.

Tharja seemed disappointed that no one even _credited her _for her discovery, but would probably put in a word for it when they got this place officially mapped. She pressed on with heavy heels.

That left Ricken, trailing in the back. He noticed Gaius and Henry more clearly from back here. And he saw the air of animosity reviving itself between them. _No, _he thought, _they would be better getting along...right? _He didn't know too much of the beef between them (although he knew of their escapades, he never thought the situations dire enough to change a relationship drastically) but figured that if this mission were to go successfully, _everyone _had to cooperate.

That's why, as Ricken began to walk, tailing the group from the back, the only thing he could think about was Henry and Gaius.

And how they were so childish, coming from him.


	7. Caves and Cracks

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening, nor anything in the Fire Emblem franchise! **

**Ratings/Warnings: T for darker themes and violence.**

**Pairings: Henry/Gaius. (Platonic) Gaius/Robin, Ricken/Henry, Anna/Gaius**

**Other: I didn't intend the buildup chapters to be so long, but I'm so wordy today! This chapter is a bit long, too, I tried to keep it as short as possible, but I tend to ramble. Hopefully several chapters in the span of a few days makes up for a long absence? Haha...Also, on the wiki and in the canon, it's mentioned that a mage can die if they use too much magic, because using magic directly affects their health and well being. And that to curse someone, you need to know their real name.**

* * *

The thieves noticed the cave change, as well. Who _wouldn't _notice the cave coming alive, the jewels spurting to life like a new motor, the torches being put to shame as brilliant light illuminated the caverns?

The leaders were baffled, and couldn't understand what made this change. The cave ended somewhere, and that was a large clearing in the back, situated some thirty minutes away from the entrance.

Because the bandits have been going in and out for weeks, they've become accustomed to the layout, and practically knew their way inside and out.

So, what were the odds that one of them could go scout ahead, and see if those Shepherds arrived yet?

The leaders came to a conclusion. They decided _not _to send anyone to inspect, and instead created a fortified defense. Fifty able bodies guarded a pile of gold and treasure, and other stolen goods. They didn't know what to _really _expect from the enemy, but they were expecting _something_.

And, even if magic users came and trounced them, they had a trump card that would probably, no, _definitely _assure their victory.

"So, they can send Chrom himself! We will not lose!" One of the leaders rallied, receiving a thunderous cry of shouts from his men.

A few minutes later, he decided that it wasn't the smartest thing to let the enemy know they were there, and groaned when he heard movement from the inner caves.

* * *

As the Shepherds continued walking on their path, they began talking about battle strategies.

It was decided that Lissa and Maribelle would stay in the back, healing injuries while being protected from harm themselves. Gaius and Anna would avoid the initial brunt of the enemy, and go straight for the gold that was probably hidden in the back. Then Henry, Ricken, Tharja, and Miriel would form a protective, magical offense that would hopefully get rid of additional enemies.

As the plan formed, Henry clutched onto his Flux. A devastating dark spell it was, and it had a high critical hit rate. Its unpredictability made it one of Henry's favorite spells. He couldn't _wait _until he could blow the enemies to bits with Flux.

_It'll be fun! _

The others had varying levels of ease, however. Anna and Gaius were completely relaxed, as they had probably experienced raids like these countless times before.

Lissa retained her nerves from earlier, but relaxed a little when Maribelle told a terrible joke. The duchess herself seemed unfazed, but the way she wrung her hands around her parasol gave away her hidden anxiety.

Miriel was very calculated, more concerned with how to most efficiently destroy the enemies, while obtaining the information necessary for her research.

Tharja couldn't care less about strategy, but was excited to try out some 'new curses' she thought up the day before.

Ricken, on the other hand, was the most nervous at all. He usually jumped on any chance to better himself, but an underlying fear had him stuck. For some reason, he felt uneasy, the feeling building up with each step he took towards the inner parts of the cave.

He didn't know why.

Noticing his friend's disposition, Henry was about to say something to diffuse his nerves. But as soon as he opened his mouth, he was blocked out by the loud shouts coming from the innards of the cave. Various men screaming how they'd take down Chrom, the Shepherds, and anyone else that came their way.

Lissa almost fell laughing at how easily they gave up their cover.

* * *

The plan quickly spurned into action. Gaius and Anna lead the way, the mages trailing after them. Lissa and Maribelle flanked the group, giving their hands a squeeze as to reassure themselves.

_We'll definitely win today. _

As they reached the far end of the cave, they got a chance to see what they were _really _up against.

A group of forty (or fifty? It was hard to count when they were all screaming and running about) men, bedraggled and rustic in every sense, stood surrounding the eight Shepherds, armed to their ears in various weapons.

They wouldn't let all those goodies go without a fight, obviously.

Ricken swallowed. _Show time. _

Gaius and Anna disappeared into the fray, smiling as they easily dodged enemies, and cut down those that stood in their way with Silver Swords. The male was more evasive, and focused more on picking up pieces of gold and treasure along the way, rather than attacking anyone.

Anna, surprisingly, was just a bit more cruel when it came to combat. Perhaps her status as a Trickster (compared to Gaius, who was still a Thief) allowed her to have more fun, but the lower level enemies were nearly decimated, as her sword flitted about dangerously, like a butterfly dancing in the air.

When dead bodies fell one after another, the Trickster decided to focus more on the treasure. She swiped all the big pieces (the jeweled goblet, the silver studded frame) and had them sent to the convoy. Her eyes fell hungrily on the large bullions, stacked and crying for her to steal them away.

But those bad boys were guarded some of the leaders. Bigger men with bigger weapons.

Those things never scared Anna, however. A mischievous smirk laced her lips.

_Well, _she thought, _time to serve some customers! _

And as she dove in for close combat, her image was lost to Henry, who couldn't see any more than ten feet in front of him.

The remaining enemies swarmed for the mages in the front, making a mob of indistinguishable enemies. The four magic users steeled themselves for the upcoming attack.

Henry was standing next to Ricken, who was next to Miriel, who was next to Tharja. Henry looked towards Ricken, and noticed a hefty Arcwind resting precariously in his hand.

He smiled. _That is so like you._

The first enemy to attack was a low-ranking Thief, whose slashes were aimed at Tharja. Her sneers were visible, and as she opened a Waste tome, her true nature was shown. A corrupt, devilish giggle escaped her lips. Pale hands opened the book, and dark purple and black mist surrounded her.

"Die now." She hissed, letting loose the spell. The Thief became an identifiable mess of flesh and cloth.

As onlookers, Miriel craned a brow, and Ricken winced.

They were always impressed with the savagery that Dark Magic could offer.

Henry would not be outshone by his fellow Plegian, however, so he began to go to work. A burly Fighter headed his way, swinging around the ax like it was a toy.

A large grin appeared on his face. He flipped another page in the Flux tome, and cast it effortlessly.

The Fighter was no more. He could hear Lissa (maybe it was Maribelle?) audibly gasp, but knowing that he was fearsome in her eyes only inflated his ego.

Of course, Henry was capable of so, _so _much more.

He showed this, when he wiped away the last strength of an Archer that was gaining on Ricken. The younger boy wasn't even in any danger, but the blond wanted to show off by blasting the Archer's head off with a terribly accurate shot of Flux.

The look in Ricken's eyes, however, showed that he was more than just impressed.

What was that emotion called, again? Fear?

_What a good expression, _Henry delighted, _but maybe it would be better if Ricken wasn't scared. _

So, he eased back on his cruelty for a bit, to give his ally some relief. It wouldn't do anyone good if Ricken became too nervous to keep fighting.

But, he supposed it was working, because the younger mage visibly lightened up when Henry stopped acting out of turn. The red-headed boy preferred Arcwind because he could simply sweep his enemies off their feet, and force them unconscious instead of having to kill them.

What a sweet gesture.

"Henry, on your left!"

He looked to the left, and noticed the enemy approaching him.

It wasn't any old henchman. It seemed to be someone of a mastered class, one robed in furs and armed with axes.

The dark mage recalls Vaike talking about it at training once. What were they called, again? _A_ _Berserker? _

_Oh darn, _Henry mentally scolded, barely dodging the glint of a big, Silver ax.

He would be at a disadvantage, at this point. And the blonde healers in the back could only keep supplementing him until he had to retreat.

But retreat meant failure, and he couldn't fail. Not again.

The enemy showed no mercy, however, and the Berserker attacked twice, each hit cleaving through the dark mage.

If it wasn't for the unbearable pain he felt, he would have marveled at how _beautiful _his blood looked, as it splashed outside of his body.

Hearing a scream from Lissa, he was sure that it would be over for him. If he wasn't killed, he would be forced to retreat, and the formation would be broken. If the formation was broken, that would leave an opening and Lissa and Maribelle would get hurt. If they got hurt, they would have to retreat and they would take their (sorry) asses back to Robin and apologize...

Loss was inevitable, Henry accepted. There would be some form of a loss on their side. After all, they were so vastly outnumbered.

But, as his mind spiraled into negativity, he heard a sharp _crack, _and watched as a bright stream of electricity shot out from behind him, and hit the Berserker square in the chest.

The man groaned, but keeled over in defeat. Eyes rolling to the back of his head, he lay flat with no sighs of breathing.

He was dead.

Even Tharja stood agape at that display.

The dark mage looked to see who had saved him just in time, and noticed a proud and smug Miriel, pushing up her glasses in some form of superiority.

"Of course, I prepared myself well for an endeavor like this. I save my money up for practical things, such as forgery. Katarina's Bolt is even more fearsome when its accuracy is raised," she explained, unable to stop the smile on her face.

"That being said, I would advise caution, Henry. It would do us no good if you were to suffer fractures or worse, especially when our battle strategy relies heavily on _our_ well being."

"You're right, Miriel! Sorry about that, but hey, that was pretty awesome!"

"Why, thank you."

"Ah, look out!" Ricken called out, quickly casting another Arcwind past Miriel, and sweeping away some enemy Knights. There was no time to talk, it seemed.

The battle resumed quickly, as there was no real respite in a confrontation like this. Henry could feel his wounds healing, however, and figured that either Lissa or Maribelle Mended him up real good.

For a moment, just a moment, Henry felt real gratitude.

_These people cared about him. _

* * *

Gaius was entirely focused on the treasure. He collected bullion after bullion, almost disregarding enemies in general until they proved to be too persistent for his liking.

For example, one particular chest in the pile had nothing but Master Seals. Taking a few for himself, he sent the chest back into the convoy. _That oughta stock us up, _the thief pondered in amusement.

As soon as he did that, some Myrmidon jumped at him, nearly throwing his sword in desperation.

Gaius sighed. _They never learn, do they? _Dodging the offender's attacks, he went through him with a decisive cut.

(Not enough to kill him, but Gaius kept wondering if he should have)

Noticing their numbers dwindling, one of the leaders cried out for someone to "stop those Gods damned thieves, already!"

The ginger grinned, sword at the ready. A group of fellow thieves surrounded him, but if they thought they could beat him, they'd be sorely disappointed.

His nickname was Gaius the Nimble for a reason.

Just a simple mistake like moving the wrong _foot_ could mean defeat, and he used the enemies' mistakes to his own advantage.

With just two swings of the swords, he managed to get rid of all the enemies surrounding him.

He flicked the blood off the blade, but did it in an exasperated manner, as if it was a _chore._

"Hey, Gaius! Let's take this guy out, yeah?"

Turning his attention from the small game, he noticed Anna, locked in combat with a much bigger and stronger enemy.

He must have been one of the leaders, Gaius thought. And while his big, burly Fighter's build was threatening, even a Thief's basic speed could outrun him.

The problem, thus, would be causing damage. A brick wall like that could easily withstand a Silver Sword, especially from those people whose strengths lied in their speed, and not in their actual strength.

So, Gaius figured their best chance was to pair up together. Quickly running to Anna's side, the two red-heads smirked at each other, and started their tag-team effort on the enemy.

"I can take two o' ya on, just as easy! Watch this!" The man barked, nearly swinging his Silver Ax in their faces.

Gaius scoffed, and quickly blocked the attack that was meant for Anna. She yelled out a sincere, "Thanks!", and moved in for an attack of herself.

With Gaius' combined strength, she managed to cut in deeper than she could before. The Berserker noticed this, and grunted in pain as the Silver Sword started cutting through the muscle.

_Dammit, _he thought. _Damn them all._

The ax swung again, but Gaius didn't need to intervene this time, because the hit missed them entirely. Anna giggled, and began attacking again.

This time, she switched her Silver Sword for a Levin Sword. At that point, Gaius knew they had the guy in the bag.

Bombarded by the sudden electric bolts, it took two hits of the Levin Sword to get him down on his knees.

Gaius, of course, wouldn't leave it at there. With a final lurch, he cried out, mocking the man in his final moments.

"What a cupcake!"

A clean slash through him had ended it. The Berserker leader fell over, body limp and bloodied.

A few breaths were taken, but the thief quickly regained his composure. Looking to Anna, he gave her a fist bump.

"Sweet," he commented.

"Definitely," she agreed.

* * *

Eventually, all the enemies were either killed or incapacitated. When the area appeared generally safe, the mages and the healers moved from their spot, and joined the thieves in collecting the rest of the stolen goods.

Henry was sure that he hadn't seen this much gold in his life. And he had visited the Plegian treasury, too. (Of course, King Gangrel wasn't the best when it came to money) But the stacks and stacks of gold and other valuables seemed insurmountable.

He wondered if they would even get to keep any of it.

Everyone else was also preoccupied, eyeing what they thought was valuable.

Anna was interested in the shiny weapons, ones that could be sold for high prices in her shop.

Gaius ogled the gold, impressed with the haul they managed to reclaim.

Miriel and Ricken found powerful tomes locked away in a chest, and felt excitement as they ran their hands along the spines of the books.

Tharja noticed dark talismans of Plegian origin, and would decide to add them to her collection.

Lissa and Maribelle were quite interested in the Master Seals they found, chatting animatedly over what they should reclass themselves to.

That left Henry, who was interested in everything at once. The gold, the weapons, the items! So many interesting things, it was no wonder the thieves went through so much trouble to keep their treasure.

With the Shepherds distracted by their rewards, they failed to notice the enemies.

The one that Gaius had spared earlier, the Myrmidon, got up quietly. He muffled his groans of pain (because damn, did everything hurt), and dragged himself across the floor to get to what he wanted.

Hidden under a table was a switch. One that would probably kill everyone, but damned he'd be if he let these goody-two-shoes Shepherds take all their stuff.

"Go to hell, Shepherds!" He cried out.

The Shepherds turned around, all surprised by the sudden outburst. The Myrmidon smiled, and pressed the switch with the last of his strength.

The next thing they knew, bright lights and walls were exploding around them. Gold coins and bricks were shaken, and some blasted to the other side of the room.

Everyone grabbed as much as they could (some were smarter and sent everything they could to the convoy), but ultimately started running.

The bright and beautiful caves were shaking uncontrollably. Then, gems and rocks shot out from their spot, being blown in every direction.

_So there were traps, _Henry thought, _the biggest trap of all. Explosives! _

Everywhere they turned, their passage would be blocked by falling debris, and they'd be forced to run screaming in another direction.

Suddenly, they reached a fork in the passageway. One tunnel headed to the right, another to the left.

The group erupted into chaos, as they screamed and panicked over the exploding caves.

"Right!" Anna screamed, but couldn't be heard. "Right, go right!"

"Let's go left," Gaius insisted, shielding both Lissa and Maribelle under his arm. "Let's just _go, _dammit!"

Miriel, who was scribbling frantically in her notebook, shouted: "I suggest we go left, as well, because I frankly remember-"

"Everyone, watch out!" Ricken screamed, voice barely audible as more bombs exploded.

A few seconds later, the air above them warped, as a bomb directly over their heads went off.

All Henry could make out was bright light, noise so loud that it got quiet, and the feeling of someone dragging him down, someone yelling "Take cover!"

The sounds of rocks and gems falling to the ground was deafening, and while Henry was better off with his eyes closed, he took a chance and opened them.

In the middle of the room, dirt and rubble was filling up, making a wall of separation. Surely the group was split up, it would be too lucky if they were all together, at this point.

As the rocks piled up, the dark mage made eye contact with someone, in the small window of vision he had of the other side.

It was Gaius. The ginger was yelling at him, it seemed.

"Henry!" he cried out as if doing so would help at all.

Before the Plegian could say anything, it was too late.

The cave in stopped, and there was a clear wall of immovable boulders and jewels between his group, and whoever was left on the other side.

His heart sunk.

He was completely separated from Gaius.

* * *

No one knew how long it was, but it must have been an hour or so.

The shock and strain of the explosion left everyone breathless, and no one moved or said anything for some time.

Henry, finally able to catch his breath and (some of) his thoughts, sat up.

He noticed that there were three other people with him, making the division of the group cleanly cut in half, with four people on one side of the cave, and four people on the other.

So, who was he trapped with?

He noticed a mass of yellow just a few feet away from him, moving and groaning tiredly.

_Lissa, _he identified, _at least she's alive! _

Glancing to his left, he saw Anna, brushing the dirt off her clothes. While she was usually full of energy, she remained slumped against a wall, breathless and in disbelief.

_Wait, _Henry suddenly thought, _if Gaius isn't with me, then maybe Ricken...? _

Off to the side, the white-haired male saw a large mage's hat, and nothing more. His hopes were soaring.

Could it be Ricken? His best friend was always known for his unnecessary large hat. Maybe that was him over there, grunting and grabbing his bearings.

As the person sat up, Henry felt his smile falter. (Even though he knew he should be grateful to see anyone in general)

It was Miriel.

* * *

That meant that on the other side of the cave in, was Gaius, Tharja, Maribelle, and Ricken.

On their side, there was an unbearable silence, but it was necessary. They were too fazed, too shocked from what just happened.

(_What just happened?_)

The ginger was lying on his back, eyes staring at the ceiling. The jewels, he noticed, were all chipped or broken off entirely. Despite this, they still retained their light, and Gaius found a green jewel particularly comforting, as he stared at it until he could bring himself back to reality.

They defeated the thieves, that was for sure. But shame on them for leaving any of them alive. Because, ironically, by sparing the enemies, they've landed themselves in this situation.

And the culprit was none other than the one enemy Gaius decided to spare. (Of course, he would omit that little detail if anyone asked)

_This was their goal all along, _he thought, _their fail-safe. _

Because if they couldn't beat the Shepherds, they would at least make sure they wouldn't get out alive.

The cave was a walking time bomb from start to finish.

It was a trap, _the_ trap, one that no one could guess they had fallen into.

After all, if anyone had known, Robin would have more than just a party of eight. Gaius sighed.

So, what did that mean? It meant that their group was split up, as the explosion forced some onto one side, and some onto the other.

The Ylissean thief remembered seeing Henry's injured gaze on the other side, and figured that the damned kid was out of his reach for now.

Who did that leave left, he wondered?

_Time to find out. _

Gaius sat up, with great effort as his body was still recovering from the event. Even as he sat up, he was troubled to know that his vision was swimming. Darkness and distortion, wading in and out of his sight.

Ten minutes passed, before his vision finally returned to normal. The thief's gaze wandered around, to see just who was trapped here with him.

Just by his foot, unconscious, but alive, was Maribelle.

_Good Gods, _he thought, _I'm really being tested right now. _

The woman had hated him with a passion (as she ought to), but Gaius, despite his frustration with her, still cared about her general well being.

(Just like last time.)

He placed a gloved hand on Maribelle, and started shaking her. "Twinkles," he muttered, "Twinkles, wake up."

It was mostly futile, and from the way that the duchess didn't stir even a _little _bit said it all.

She was knocked out cold.

"That's no way to do it," another voice mumbled from the corner. From its gloomy tone, Gaius figured it was Tharja.

"Then what d'you s'pose we do, Sunshine?"

"Obviously, I'll curse her awake. Now is no time to be sleeping, when our lives are slipping away before us." She grumbled, and from the sounds of it, got up and got closer to them.

"Listen, you better not hurt her. Or anyone." Gaius threatened, "Because annoying as she is, it would be more annoying if she or anyone died."

"You think I don't know that?" Tharja hissed. "Obviously, all I'm going to do is wake her up. She might be unable to sleep for a day or two, but it's better than having to drag her sleeping body around."

"..." Gaius remained quiet. The dark mage took that as a sign of consent.

"Wait," another voice came out this time, and Gaius realized it was the last member of their split up group.

Ricken was his name, right?

"Wait," Ricken repeated, scrambling to his feet, "Henry told me that some curses need sacrifices. Is that true?"

The Plegian smiled. "Of course. It wouldn't be dark magic for nothing. You could still cast the same curses without a sacrifice, but their power would be considerably weakened."

"Well," the red-head began, "are you going to sacrifice something? Because we really shouldn't-"

"Idiot," Tharja admonished, eyes narrowing, "I already _have _a sacrifice."

And she pulled out (seemingly from no where), the dead animal that she and Henry found by the cave entrance earlier.

Ricken held onto the wall for support, because he felt like he would throw up right then and there.

"You...you _kept _that thing?"

"Of course. I knew it would come in handy. Now, are you going to let me revive Maribelle, or not?"

"Just hurry up with it, Sunshine. We gotta find the others or a way out of here, _now_."

"Hehehe. No need to tell me twice..."

She placed the cadaver on the ground, and prepared her curse. It was a lot quicker and simpler than Gaius expected it to be. Purple light engulfed the corpse, and Tharja smiled. She took that light, and shot it directly at Maribelle.

The light settled into the duchess (seeing that made Gaius squirm a bit), and the blonde woke up with a gasp, eyes opening and body jolting awake.

Taking a moment to collect herself, she brought a hand to her forehead.

"W-What...what on Earth just happened?"

"You were sleepin', Twinkles. Listen, we gotta get out of here, so just take a breather, and-"

"LISSA!" Maribelle screamed, realizing that the Ylissean royal was not in their company. "Oh Gods, where's Lissa? And the others, where-"

"Get a hold of yourself, woman!" Gaius demanded, shaking the duchess by her shoulders. "Panicking is the _last _thing we should do."

Maribelle stared for a moment, before her face contorted into something nasty. She flung Gaius' arms off of her, and started yelling.

"Then what do you suppose we do? Press on without her? Look for an escape whilst leaving our comrades behind? If that is how you do things, then, frankly, I wish you would have kept me asleep."

Gaius wanted to scream right back at her, but figured that wouldn't be the right thing to do in this situation. Luckily, someone else intervened before he had to.

"Maribelle," Ricken began softly, "we're not saying we're abandoning them. But how can we save them unless we find a way out? Because no amount of magic is worth blasting through this wall-someone could get hurt. And even if we find them, what if we're still stuck? That would just mean we'd _all _be doomed."

Everyone was surprised at how calm and how mature the young boy was being, but his words made sense nonetheless. Maribelle pondered them, and clutched onto the handle of her parasol (which was in tatters), whilst gave a small nod.

"...You're right, Ricken. I was not seeing clearly. As much as it pains me to be away from Lissa's side, I'll have to deal with it, at least for the time being."

Tharja sighed, rolling her eyes at the situation in its entirety. She mumbled something about 'sentiment' and 'uselessness'.

Gaius had the small semblance of a smile on his face, but kept it hidden.

"Alright, that's what I like to hear. Let's get going, then." Ricken insisted, fixing his hat (which somehow survived the damage) "If they were as lucky as we are, no one's hurt too badly."

Maribelle frowned, dark eyes saddening. "Let's not talk about _that, _if you please."

"Oh, sorry." Ricken apologized sheepishly, and started walking ahead. "Let's go, then."

"Finally," Tharja murmured, crossing her arms as she trailed Ricken.

Gaius was about to follow suit, when he felt a soft hand prod at his shoulder.

He turned around, and saw Maribelle, who wore an expression that was confident, yet soft.

Almost apologetic.

"What is it, Twinkles?"

"Nothing too bad," she insisted, retracting her hand back to her side. "I suppose I owe you an apology. You were being level-headed and reasonable and I disregarded that."

The red-head smiled. "Oh, that? That's water under the bridge, Twinkles. Don't worry about it too much. I mean, I understand where you're coming from. Lissa and the others mean a lot to you, I'd be worried, too."

The duchess nodded, and started walking. Gaius followed slowly, surprised at her sudden friendly mood.

Maybe it was the curse.

"Thank you, Gaius. I suppose that you're worried about them, as well."

Much to his dismay, Gaius realized his mind was trailing back to Henry. Anna, Lissa, and Miriel were on the other side, too, and he _was _worried for them; but for some reason, he kept hoping that the Plegian boy was alright.

He didn't want to think about why that was. It would probably just make him even more worried.


	8. Errors and Escapes

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening, nor anything in the Fire Emblem franchise! **

**Ratings/Warnings: T. Darker themes and violence. **

**Pairings: Gaius/Henry. (Platonic) Robin/Gaius, Henry/Ricken, Anna/Gaius**

**Other: I hate spiders so much. **

* * *

The first thing Henry did was tend to Lissa.

Which was ironic, considering she was the one the usually watched over others.

But, the blonde girl wasn't too far away from Henry, and the Plegian supposed that half the reason he cared for her first was because she was conveniently close to him.

Crawling over to the Ylissean (because he was not ready to stand up quite yet), the dark mage gave a large smile.

"Hey, you're alive! That's good! I was scared that the explosion blew you to little, itty bitty princess bits!"

The royal groaned, and slowly sat up. Henry helped her stay steady.

Her eyes, slate gray and weary, were downcast, staring at nothing in particular. Lifting her head, she gazed up into Henry's eyes, and promptly frowned.

"_Thanks._" She retorted. "Honestly, you're too happy in this situation. It's terrible! We could have _died!_"

"But we didn't!" he laughed. "I mean, _us_ four didn't. I'm not sure about the others."

"The others?" Lissa blinked, and swerved her head, looking around at her surroundings.

"Oh, no, _Maribelle_." the blonde agonized, placing her hands on her face._ "_She's not here."

"Nope! Gaius, Maribelle, Tharja, and Ricken are on the other side! That, or they're crushed under the ton of rubble!" He gave the new wall a kick, and showed just how sturdy it was. Unless they blasted through with some wild attacks, there was no beating down that foundation.

How inconvenient.

"Y-You don't think that happened, right...?" Lissa asked worriedly, "T-They're probably fine..."

"Statistically speaking," Miriel cut in, "it's virtually impossible for anyone to escape this event unscathed. If there are no casualties, then there must be grievous injuries to balance it out."

The blonde lamented. "That makes everything _so _much better! Thanks, guys, I'm _totally_ reassured now!"

"You're welcome!" Henry beamed, giving the girl a pat on the back. "But hey, it won't get any better if we just stay here, y'know, sulking and stuff! We should look for a way out!"

"I agree!" Anna chirped, walking over to the other three. "After all, a dead merchant makes no sales. So, stand up, and let's get going!"

The Plegian nodded, and slowly got up. His legs were completely shaky, and if it weren't for the cave walls to support him, he would have fallen over.

Miriel stood up, as well, seemingly unharmed as she brushed the dirt off her robes with ease. Of course, the dark mage noticed how shaky her hands were, and smiled to himself, thinking about how even in a dire situation, the woman was still trying to come off as composed and assured.

Lissa, in contrast, was having great difficulty in this situation. She tried to stand up, but only stumbled over due to her hazy vision and uncertain mind.

Henry, as a (surprisingly) good person and comrade, helped her up. He grabbed her hand, and after pulling Lissa up to a stance, held her shoulders to steady her.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yeah," she mumbled, rubbing at her eyes. "Thanks."

Once the four of them were lucid enough, they started to walk. They didn't know which direction to go in (they couldn't tell which way was the way they came from), so they settled on moving forward, instead of backward.

It was a good thing that the jewels in the cave were still alight. Albeit they were broken or chipped, and dangerous shards lay everywhere; it was better to have light to guide them, especially in such a dark place.

Upon further inspection, Henry saw just how intricate the bandits were with setting up the explosives. Through exposed rock and blasted walls, he saw intricate wiring of sorts, and blackened spots where the bombs themselves must have been placed. (And, essentially, where they must have blown up)

He shuddered to think such dangers were underneath their feet and over their heads, this whole time.

_Gotta hand it to them, _he thought, _they were pretty thorough! _

The walk was mostly silent (everyone was still gathering their bearings), until Anna diffused the atmosphere with a friendly hum.

It was a tavern's song, Henry realized. A song that celebrated good wealth and fortune.

A bit ironic that she would hum that tune in this current situation, but Henry realized her intentions.

He joined in with his own harmony. He wasn't a singer or anything, but the minimal "La's" and "Ah's" he had were enough.

Eventually, Lissa joined in, being familiar with the tune they were singing. Her voice was high, feminine, and soft. It gave Henry a strange comfort that he didn't realize was possible.

The only one excluding themselves from the merrymaking was Miriel, who seemed disinterested as usual.

But, after a shove or two from Henry, the scholar gave in, turning her head as she added her own voice into the mix.

And Miriel's singing voice, Henry discovered, was quite possibly the most beautiful thing he's ever heard.

(And they walked like that, bruised and bewildered, holding onto a small hope that they made together with song)

* * *

Gaius couldn't have possibly known, but his group was walking in the same general direction as Henry's.

And while an overbearing silence hung in the air, he found a respite when they came to another fork in the road.

One tunnel lead to the left, the other to the right. Looking through them, in an attempt to see what was waiting for them, Gaius realized that the twists and turns the tunnels had made it impossible to determine what was at the end.

_Guess it'll be a surprise. _

"So," the thief spoke, "which way do we go?"

"Um, left?" Ricken mused, looking between the two options. "You wanted to go left earlier, right?"

"Yeah, but that was earlier." Gaius pointed out. "Sunshine, Twinkles? Which way do you wanna go?"

The Plegian scoffed, turning her gaze away from the others. "Does it really matter? Why are we even discussing this? We should just go."

"I think we should go right," Maribelle declared. "I have a strong feeling that we should go that way."

Ricken rubbed the back of his neck. "I still think we should go left. I mean, what if that strong feeling is just a warning _not _to go right?"

"There's no harm in going right."

"You don't know that yet."

She put her hands on her hips, eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Well, how do you know left is the wise choice? It could be a dead end or worse, a bomb that has yet to go off."

"That could be said about going right!" Ricken rebutted, crossing his arms.

"Can we stop bickering and just _go?_" Tharja repeated, voice growing increasingly strained. "Before I turn you both into toads."

"Gaius, you pick!" Ricken insisted, turning his gaze to his fellow red-head.

"Yes, Gaius, pick." Maribelle asserted, tightening her grasp on her parasol.

He sighed, suddenly wishing that he never asked for their opinions in the first place. It would have been better to just wordlessly head in one direction, like Tharja wanted.

But, he had to make a choice, otherwise they'd be stuck here, arguing forever. And being stuck with Tharja and Maribelle forever was not how Gaius wanted to spend the rest of his days.

"Right," the thief decided, whilst giving Maribelle a knowing glance. "Let's go, already."

Ricken muttered something under his breath, but went along obediently. Tharja sighed for the umpteenth time, stomping away impatiently.

Maribelle stared at Gaius, wondering what made him so trusting of her all of a sudden, but decided not to think too much about it.

After all, she still didn't forgive him. Even if he had forgiven her.

* * *

Henry's group had stopped singing, even though it gave them a small comfort.

They stopped, because they had reached the end of the tunnel. And it was a dead end, but not the usual dirt wall, can't-go-anywhere dead end.

There was a blue and crystalline pool of water, in the back corner of the room. Sunlight peaked from above it, and Henry assumed that there was an opening to the outside, and that water would seep down from above and into the cave.

Aside from that was the various skeletal remains, propped up against walls and lining the edge of the pool itself.

Miriel was curious, as usual. Why were there skeletons here, of all places? Did explorers before them meet their end in this room, or was there something else in the caves (something that wasn't bandits or bombs) that compromised safety?

Her answer came sooner than any of them hoped. A deep, tremulous noise was resounding within the room, shaking its foundations. The pool of water seemed to be moving, like something was coming out of it.

The four Shepherds stared in terror, as a large, violet serpent emerged from the watery depths. It glowed with a familiar aura that made a single word echo in all of their heads.

_Risen?_

Was that possible, to have a Risen Dragon? Maybe, Henry mused, because Risen were nothing more than undead and distorted forms of once living creatures. If Grima's influence could even take control of fallen dragons, then something like this wasn't impossible.

But Henry wished it was, because the serpent opened its eyes.

Its eyes seemed silvery, milky almost. Henry, having a bigger affinity for animals than most people, realized something.

It was blind.

Lissa screamed, unable to hide her fear, and made a breakneck run out of the tunnel.

Everyone else followed her, effortlessly.

The Risen Dragon roared, and made a deafening noise as it heaved its serpent like body out of the water, and down the tunnel.

The Shepherds didn't realize it, but it was nighttime at this point.

Dinner time, for some creatures.

* * *

Gaius' party was headed down the right tunnel. Most of the jewels in this part were blue or purple, Gaius noted, and because of this, he felt more tired, like it was nighttime inside the cave.

Although, it was probably nighttime outside, too. He doesn't know how long they've been here, at this point.

When they reached the end, they were more dismayed than they were before.

The room they entered was big and spacious, and there was a reason why.

There was at least five, six different tunnels in this room. So many directions they could go in, so many ways to get lost.

Maribelle blanched. _This _was her strong feeling? Maybe Ricken was right, maybe that feeling was something telling her _not _to go that way. Because now they weren't any closer to the exit, she lamented.

They probably just complicated things.

She was about to admit it, before a loud scuttling sound made the Shepherds stiffen.

Backing up out of the room, Tharja noticed something in the corner of her eye. Something white, and shiny.

Were those...cobwebs? But they were so large, she reasoned. So only something big enough to weave a web of that sort could have-

"_Oh Gods,_" Ricken said aloud, noticing the same things the Plegian was. "That's a _spider's _web, isn't it? That means..."

Maribelle gulped, hands tightening on her broken parasol again. Lissa was not a fan of insects, nor was she. And spiders were definitely unwelcome. Even the small ones threatened to break the woman's strong will and practice.

So, imagine what a larger one would do. One that was the size of, let's say, a dragon.

But, a dragon-sized spider? How could that possibly be?

Gaius didn't want to think it was true either, but he was shown the truth a lot more easily than he would have liked.

The thief kept backing up out of habit, but felt his back press against something. A shiver went up his spine, as a horrible realization came to be.

He backed up into something _soft, _something fuzzy.

And when he turned around, his brown eyes were met with eight other eyes.

Each eye, of course, had to be the size of his head. Wordlessly, he grabbed Maribelle in one hand (who, thankfully, held onto Ricken as well) and Tharja in the other.

He ran into the cave (the only place they could go), and ran for their lives.

_Good Gods, _Gaius thought, _it's one enemy after another, with this place! _

And sadly, the ginger thought that death via crushed by boulder would be just a bit better than whatever situation he got them all into.

Just a bit.

* * *

Lissa kept screaming. She couldn't help it, she was witness to a large, undead lizard. One that ate countless explorers before them, one that couldn't tell the difference between a Shepherd or a common animal.

One that didn't care, anyways.

Miriel wished that somehow, she could take notes on the creature. After all, a dragon of that caliber has probably never been seen or known by anyone else. If it was a manakete and not a wyvern like she assumed, that would mean that Grima is a _lot _stronger than everyone surmised.

It was frightening.

Even Anna would have to admit that she was scared. Because she dealt with _people, _not monsters. Because Entombed were slow blobs of harmlessness, but an undead dragon was _very _harmful.

Especially one that wanted her pretty face between its teeth.

Henry was thinking about how it was blind. He doesn't think the others have noticed, but that dead dragon was definitely blind. Which meant one thing.

It wasn't even seeing them. It couldn't see.

It was tracking them down with its hearing. And with the way Lissa was nonstop screaming made them easy targets. So he had to stop her, and the others, before their loud natures got themselves killed.

With all his might, he shoved the three females off to the side, all four of them falling down behind a boulder.

The blonde didn't care about the shards or the rocks that probably got in her skin and her clothes. She _did _care, however, that Henry stopped them in mid-run.

She screamed at him, fearful and hysterical. "Henry, what are you _doing? _Do you want us to _die?! _Why did you-"

"Shhhhhh." He demanded, covering her mouth. "Shhhh."

He waited until the three of them were silent, until the only noises they made was through their nose.

_Good, _Henry thought, _now we can talk like civilized people. _

"That dragon is blind," came the explanation, "and it's probably following us because we're so _loud._"

Lissa blinked, and immediately became embarrassed and flustered. She probably shouldn't have screamed so much, then. But could she be blamed? After all, they were literally being chased by a twenty-foot tall dragon.

"If it's blind," Miriel pointed out, "it could also be using a heightened sense of smell or touch to find us. Our footprints, our aroma. Being silent will not save us."

The Plegian bit on his lip, but then smiled. "I don't think its smell is all that good. I mean, from the looks of it, it's been living in the water, right? Not to mention that it's a Risen dragon, so it doesn't have a sense of feeling, anyways."

Her brows lifted, surprised that Henry thought ahead of her, for once. "I see, your familiarity on bestial species exceeds mine. Of course, it's plausible now that its only means of finding us is through audible noises."

"So," Lissa cut in, "what you're saying is, we have to be quiet?"

"Well, that'll be hard!" Anna insisted, "Just by walking, we're making all sorts of noise!" By adjusting her foot slightly, the loud _crunch _of a broken shard underneath her feet made her point. "This place is totally blown apart, remember?"

Henry thought quietly, and lifted a finger in a knowing motion. "I got it! I can use my magic to confuse the big guy!"

"You mean, blow something up and hope that the noise attracts it instead of us?"

"Exactly!" The dark mage mused, "Then we can buy some time and actually escape!"

"Then, hurry up with it!" Lissa whined, "it could be coming any minute now!"

Henry stood up, and took out his Arcthunder tome. He aimed it at the end of the tunnel, opposite of where they were, and shot a crackling beam of electricity in that direction.

An explosion set off, and the clouds of smoke surprised him. _Some of the bombs didn't go off! _he realized. With his luck, he managed to blow one up, and a noise that loud would be enough to distract the dragon. Hopefully.

But, Anna was quicker on her feet than he was, and brought her companions up from the ground in haste. "That explosion will catch its attention, yeah? So let's not be here when it does!"

The other three nodded silently, and followed the Trickster down the tunnel.

_Finally, _Henry thinks, _we can finally get out of here. _

* * *

Gaius and the others ran frantically, heading into one of the various tunnels they found in the spider's domain.

As they passed by more spider webs, Gaius could see remnants of skeletons and dried up cocoons.

_Gods, _Gaius thought, _I never want to see another spider after this. _

They ran and ran, until Tharja and Ricken's legs gave out, (they were always the worst at physical activity) and the two unceremoniously fell forward in exhaustion. Maribelle and Gaius screeched to a halt, not wanting to move on without the others.

Just an arm's length away from Tharja's tired body, though, was an explosive, lying embedded in the rock.

Maribelle and Gaius said nothing, not wanting to make sudden movements. The dark mage noticed their stupor, and looked behind her. Noticing the dynamite, she gave a hefty sigh..

"They put bombs in here? Did those bandits miss the giant spider, or something?"

Ricken was dumbfounded, but carefully nudged Tharja to move aside, so her presence wouldn't set the bomb off. She moved in accordance, and a deep sigh of relief was shared by everyone.

"They probably don't even know that this is here," Ricken mused, "if they did, they wouldn't have chosen to keep their treasure here."

"But, there's fifty of them. Why didn't the spider just go and kill them all when they had the chance?" Maribelle inquired, breathing erratically.

"Maybe," Tharja guessed, "they were waiting until all of them gathered in one spot, where it could take them all out with one blow."

"Maybe it was waiting for _us._"

They were all silent, baffled at the much bigger threat than the bandits.

Maribelle, for some reason, thought of her horse back at the stables. She was glad that she had decided to leave it there, for the poor beast would have been dead by now, if she brought it along.

Thinking about it, of course, made her long for the Shepherds' camp, with its uniformed tents and rustic campfires. Even talking with Vaike was starting to be a more desired fate than this.

A loud din, caused by a sudden roar, made the four of them cover their ears in pain and discomfort.

_What _was _that? _

Suddenly, the ground trembled before them, and at the mouth of the tunnel, they saw the most horrific scene.

The spider from before had, of course, found their hiding spot. Its gaping maw and beady eyes were threatening and almost screamed out a silent message.

_I found you._

Even more frightening, however, was the new dragon that appeared beside it. It was large, purple, and seemingly undead. It wasn't there before, and the ginger had no idea how a dragon had managed to throw itself in this chaos.

Little did he know, that dragon was the same one that had been chasing Henry's group, and because of the diversion Henry set, the dragon bounded blindly down the path, and ended up heading towards Gaius' party.

What a mess, he thought. What a terrible, unfair mess.

At this point, the four of them backed up as far as they could into the corner, nearly accepting their fate. Maribelle was shaking profusely, muttering something under her breath.

Prayers.

The thief hadn't taken her for a religious woman, but he supposed now was a good of time as any to start praying to Naga or anyone else out there.

Gaius blinked, and stood agape as he quickly remembered something.

The bomb. _The bomb the bomb the bomb. _There was a large explosive, lying in wait, just leagues down the tunnel where the two giant beasts were heading towards.

From this distance, no doubt the thief and company would be in danger if a bomb were to set off in such close proximity, but he figured it was better than not setting it off and having the spider and dragon take turns in tearing them apart.

"Ricken, Tharja!" he yelled, "Throw some fire at the bomb, or something!"

Tharja's eyes widened. "Do you want us to _die? _We'll get hurt, too!"

"I know that, but would you rather try outrunning those goddamned things? _Do it,_" he hissed.

She hesitated, but she needn't move another muscle, because Ricken stepped forward in her place.

An Arcfire tome was opened, and stumbling over his words and movements (partly in fear, partly in excitement), he shot a direct and decisive stream of fire in the bomb's direction.

Just as the spider and the dragon had lurched forward, the explosive went off.

In a brilliant flash of light, the walls burst forth, and in the deafening cave in, Gaius could somehow manage to make out the dying shrieks of arachnid and lizard alike.

Closing his eyes, he covered as much of the other three with his body as possible, serving as their human shield.

Because if he was going to die, than Gods dammit, he would die protecting his comrades.

The last thing he was aware of was Maribelle screaming at him, before something from the ceiling landed on his head.

And he wasn't aware of anything anymore.


	9. Regrets and Rescues

**There are mentions of blood, detailed injury, violence, animal death, self-depreciation, and possible drug use in this chapter.**

* * *

Henry thought that maybe they died, and that the cave's weakest foundations finally crushed him whole.

It wasn't until he heard the cricket cries, and the sound of coarse breathing did he realize something.

They were alive.

The previous moments of outsmarting the Risen dragon, running, and escaping were completely unremarkable. Perhaps it was the adrenaline, or the pure strain on his mind and body, that made Henry unable to recall when exactly they had made it to the outside.

But they did.

And the stars, the Plegian noticed, the stars _were bright. _Like small beacons of hope, dotting the inky sky. As he blinked, he found himself staring at their shimmer, his heartbeat calming down while doing so.

(Although its beat was naturally tame and calm, whereas other people had too high blood pressure, Henry's was too low)

The grass he was lying on wasn't too rough, either. It was actually soft, and much more comforting than the dirty cave floors they were traversing in.

The dark mage could feel himself slipping away into sleep, so physically and mentally spent that it would be hard to resist slumber's calls.

That is, until he felt someone's cold hands slide onto his face, the bitter chill causing him to wake up rudely.

"Aw," the male groaned listlessly. "Aw, what'd you do that for...? I was just fallin' asleep..."

"Henry, sleep now and you may never wake up."

He's tired. Tired, exhausted, and thoughtless. He doesn't even think to coat his words, as his Plegian tongue hisses out:

"You act like that's a bad thing."

Whoever was trying to wake him up has stopped. He knows this, because no chilly flesh or sagely (humanely) advice comes his way. He knows his words have provoked or warded off the other, and he would have liked it to stay at just that.

He cranes his head to the side, and wishes for unconsciousness to come quicker.

The crickets themselves have started to quiet down, and there was a minute thought that maybe Henry had been abandoned by the others, who wouldn't deal with his twisted emotions or weakness anymore.

But, he felt a smaller, warmer hand embrace his, and the scent of womanish lingering in his nose, the sound of delicacy in his ears.

"Henry," a female voice began, "the others aren't out here. Gaius, Ricken, Maribelle, or Tharja. They're not here yet. You can't sleep, not right now. We have to find them."

As if she uttered a curse or a spell, the boy was suddenly sparked with a sudden worry. He got up quickly (but reclined just as quickly; he had underestimated the power of a headrush) and waded closer and closer to the shores of lucidity.

"Right. They're not-" he pauses mid-sentence, feeling a chill crawl up his spine.

"Yes, Henry?"

"They're not here yet, that's right. We have to find them. Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" the boy scolded playfully, voice lightening up. He could sense the other visibly sigh in relief, and he reopened his eyes.

It took a few seconds for them to adjust to the new light. The light of a fire, one held tamely in between Miriel's hands. The shadows of her face flickered, as warm and seeing light wavered in the dark.

The look she was giving Henry meant something. Was it disappointment, maybe? Sadness? Henry couldn't tell.

"We_ were_ trying," the woman insisted, dark eyes casting over the flames. "You blatantly refused to get up, and whilst I understand words like that usually stem from fatigue and such, it does not give you the right to simply give up on the other members of our party."

Her words were fluid, but sharp. The fire held in her hands (what spell had she used for that, he wonders? Elfire? Fire? Arcfire?) was threatening to flare up, as a result.

Anna, who only interrupted when the atmosphere became too stifling for her, took the boy's hand and pulled him to his feet.

Now being able to see Miriel eye to eye (even if his eyes were actually closed), he gave his reply.

"I never said I gave up on _them,_" the platinum blond rebutted.

_I was giving up on myself. _

* * *

Coughs. The only sound that wasn't the sifting pebbles or the settling dirt was the coughs.

Brisk, but violent coughs. The way someone would act when it was hard to breathe.

And being cornered in the room of a cave, up to your knees in dirt and debris, could make things a bit difficult.

The only thing that gave Ricken some solace in this time, was the dim moonlight, shining through the cracks above them.

His mind was reeling, like coiled up wire being released. So many thoughts, so many questions. He knew that he had been thinking for too long, though. He could tell by looking through the opened ceiling. The sky was once pitch black, but he could see the slow progression of blues making their way in.

Morning would come around soon.

By his side were two unmoving bodies. One struck by falling debris in the head, the other slammed against a wall when the foundation shook too hard.

He couldn't see if either of them were breathing. Part of him didn't want to.

"Are they...alive?" he asked automatically, like a machine. His brain was processing so much, it amazed him that he could even speak those three words out to begin with.

"...Hard to tell." Was the weak, muffled reply of the other. The only way he could really tell it was Tharja was by the other incohesive murmurs the Plegian loved to speak.

"...Hmm."

More dirt and rubble fell, mounting over itself. Just a few yards away from them, the mage thought he saw a large, scaly tail, and multiple furry legs sticking out from underneath the boulders.

There are dark stains on the floor in that area, too. The rotten, dark blood of a Risen. The colorful fluids of an insect.

Was it only a short time ago, that those beasts were vivacious and carnivorous so, with a desire for the taste of a Shepherd? How could they lie dead so quickly?

How could Gaius and Maribelle be either dead or alive, with no certainty between them? How could Ricken and Tharja sit so defeatedly, allowing this terribly waiting to continue?

Ricken couldn't decide that, he figured. He was badly shaken up, and there was a ringing in his ears that wouldn't go away entirely. If either Maribelle or Lissa was alive after this ordeal, he would ask for their expertise.

If he survived beyond that, he imagined that he would go write to his parents, or pray with Libra in the local church.

He would ask for guidance, he would ask for forgiveness.

* * *

Miriel lead the way. It gave her some purpose, something to take her mind off the wretched events that transpired not too long ago.

And she didn't mean the dragon, either. She meant something of a much more volatile nature, of a much more volatile self.

(but like the dragon, the person she alluded to was Plegian, and had eyes that couldn't see the same as everyone else)

Anna followed her heels, counting the amount of gold she managed to keep on her person. It was a low, whispering sort of voice she used, and Henry found it to be sleep-inducing.

If it weren't for Lissa, who every now and then shook him from behind to make sure he didn't fall asleep on his feet, he would have conked out.

How indecent.

Here the four of them were, searching for their lost comrades, and Henry can't even muster the energy nor urgency to keep himself fully awake while carrying out the task. Even though he was more lucid than before, he would admit that he felt sleep tugging at his sleeve every moment.

"That's _me, _not sleep, tugging at your sleeve." Lissa insisted. "Stay awake, idiot."

"Mmm, if you say so!" Henry replied obediently. "Say, don't you think Robin would have sent a search party or something by now? From the looks of it, it's _really _late. Only the wolves would stay up at this hour!"

The blonde girl, while out of his sight, sported her usual worried expression in times like these.

"W-Well, it is a faraway location from camp...There's a lot of forests and stuff."

"But we got here pretty quickly! Five, six hours at the most! What's taking the Shepherds so long, hmm?"

"Uh..."

"The only thing I can think of," Anna piped in, pausing her fastidious counting, "is that something else happened that's grabbing their attention. A good investor doesn't intervene with the money they've put away, they worry about their current assets!"

"Is everything always money with you?" Henry teased, wagging his finger.

"_No. _Well, maybe. There's a couple of things that are just as important! Maybe one..."

Lissa was baffled that this conversation was even happening. "You two, cut it out! We have to find the others..."

"That's the intention," Miriel spoke up, flames burning brightly in her hand. "I'm not exactly sure how we're able to do that, however. As of present, the four of us are walking alongside a hill that meets the roofs of the caves. As you can see-"

The scholar swings her fire around, and before them are countless spots where cave ins are evident; where foundations are broken.

So many places to start looking, and so little chance of finding their friends at any of them. Who's to say that they're even still in the caves?

"Oh, _great._" Lissa lamented. "We'll never find them. Where do we even start looking?"

"Hey, boy." the Trickster spoke up, turning around to face the Plegian behind her.

"Yes, ma'am?" he addressed politely, smiling in a strange manner.

Anna ignored it.

"Isn't this the time where you, y'know, pull out a super cool spell that lets us find them quickly?"

"I guess! It might not work, though. The spell I usually use requires a sacrifice, and I gave mine to Tharja before we fought the thieves!"

The princess gaped. "Does that mean...you're going to have to _kill _something for the spell to work, now?"

"Yup! But I wouldn't be worried. After all, animals love me!"

"Henry..." Lissa had spoken to him about this same matter before, but it would appear that her previous lecture had gone over his head.

"Don't worry, I'll find a bird or something, and get started!" The boy leaped away from the others, bounding into the nearby woods in search of a victim.

Miriel stared after him wordlessly. Lissa's mouth hung ajar.

"Miriel, Anna! Should we just let him gallop around and do what he wants? Even if it's to find the others, surely there's a better way to do it than-"

"Lissa," Miriel spoke up, adjusting her glasses. "I do not mean to speak out against you, but allow me to be clear. If there was a better way, we should have set upon it with all haste. _You _didn't even stop Henry, and that is usually a sign of consent."

The girl blushed madly, furious and embarrassed.

"It's because he doesn't listen to me! He's weird and does what he wants!"

"True!" Anna chimed in, cutting off Miriel before she could go on an even lengthier explanation. "But, that Henry kid was the one who thought of the the diversion. In his case, his instinct usually works, wouldn't you say?"

The princess' bright eyes widen, and she looks away from the other two females, eyes staring at the darkness below them.

"Maybe," she admitted, "but that doesn't change the fact that what he's doing is wrong."

"We just killed about fifty strangers," Anna pointed out.

"We're not any better."

* * *

By the time that Ricken finally moved, the sand had reached up to his calves.

Their situation vaguely reminded him of being trapped in an hourglass. But hourglasses were pretty and maintained, and they were caught between the damaged walls of an ugly cave, the only exit high above them and half their party unconscious due to unforeseen circumstances.

How terrible.

But, as defeated as the mage was, he supposed he could try to be heroic in what may be his last hours. After all, the possibility that they were saved in this short time was bleak, for they didn't even know if the other four were looking for them.

If they were even alive.

"What's the use," Tharja lamented, "of trying? We might as well die right now."

"Maybe. It would be easier, that's for sure. But if that's your way of thinking, wouldn't it be better to try as hard as you could, in your last hours?"

"How would I know," she deadpanned, "I've never been in such a hopeless situation before."

"Never?"

"Never. Not even when I still fought in the Plegian army."

Ricken chuckled, in spite of himself. At least he wouldn't die alone, he thought. Even if a dark, unforgiving, obsessive woman was his companion, it was better to go together, than alone.

But, the hope of them escaping still existed, and the boy found a new surge of strength. He stood up straight, sand shifting around him as he did so.

"Tharja, let's at least try."

"Why?"

The red-head stared at Gaius, whose damaged body was propped against a boulder. He looked at Maribelle, whose regal frame was slumped over in the same fashion, parasol fragmented and lost between her and the sand.

They were reason enough, he thought. Them and the rest of their initial party, and the rest of the Shepherds, too!

They were enough.

He looked at Tharja, brown gaze full of a mysterious determination.

"Why not?"

* * *

Henry came back with a dead squirrel. One that was twisted in multiple directions, and had its eyes missing.

Lissa almost fainted.

The dark mage, for the most part, ignored everything his allies were saying. He had to be focused, he had to cast this curse correctly and accurately, with no intervention or interruption.

(But he really just thought they were being annoying, so he elected to ignore them blatantly)

A bright, yellow light flashed from his ritual. One that involved strange words and magic circles. It was a light nonetheless, and it glowed brightly, like a star in the middle of a dark sky.

Like a beacon.

The most surprising part, however, was a second beam of light that shot straight into the sky. It came from a few yards away, emerging from a fractured ceiling of the cave.

The four of them ran towards that spot, and it was then Henry realized something.

He was about to see for himself, who exactly survived this damage. And while Ricken and Tharja and Maribelle were _super _important (he honestly hoped they were okay), his mind kept repeating a single name in his head, like a mad mantra.

_Gaius, Gaius, Gaius._

_Gaius, Gaius, Gaius. _

_Gaius. _

* * *

The spell that Henry had cast would allow it to locate another magic user at will. Between Ricken and Tharja, Henry supposed that they were both together, and made his spell hone in on Ricken in particular.

The mage, still trapped in the rising sands and rocks of the cave, was thinking of a way to get out, before the sand went high enough to choke them to death.

At this rate, it was getting close to his stomach, and while he was shorter than the other three, he knew that could only mean that it was getting worse.

And worse.

"Even if we could leave," Tharja noted, "the other two are unconscious. We are not strong enough to take them with us, Ricken."

His face blanched, a cold sweat running down his head.

_No, _he thought, _we all have to make it out of here. We have to. _

But as the dangers of the cave kept rising (and as the cadavers of the spider and dragon were utterly gone at this point), Ricken realized she was right. Their combined strength could only take one of the two incapacitated with them, and even at that point, they would have to muster a lot of strength and energy to scale the wall, and scrape through the opening in the ceiling.

It was practically hopeless. Practically impossible.

The boy wished he hadn't mustered up such high hopes to begin with. But this was a better fate than, say, being eaten alive by a giant spider.

Settling for that small achievement, Ricken was moments from giving in, when something extraordinary happened.

His tomes began to light up out of their own volition, and they opened up, pages releasing a strange and unknown light.

He thought he was imagining it, mind hazy with the desperation and hysteria of one's final moments. But seeing Tharja's expression made him realize that it wasn't a trick of the mind, or an illusion.

Something _was _happening. Something weird.

Then, he could hear shouts from the outside. The voices were mixed together, and it was hard to hear over the shifting rocks and sand piling at their bodies.

But, he saw a flash of red pass by the opening, and he heard a loud chorus.

"_Move!_"

The boy propped up Gaius' incapacitated form, and watched as the ceiling was carved open, blasted by electric shocks.

A Levin Sword's shocks, perhaps?

Nevertheless, chunks of the rocky ceiling broke apart, and fell like weights into the depths of the sand. (Which, at this point, was going past Ricken's stomach)

Then, the night sky and the scenery became clearer. Somehow, standing above their heads, were the other four members. The ones he hadn't seen for hours, and was worried that he may never see again.

_Gods must have us in their favor, _Ricken thought, and smiled.

His hope was rekindled.

Anna wore a big smile, mostly wanting to diffuse their terror and anxiety, and jumped down. She seemed to be holding onto some sort of rope or vine, as a support and a way to get back up to where the others were. Noticing the rising sand, she called out.

"I can start by taking one of you up on my back. Well?"

Tharja and Ricken looked between each other, but the male spoke out before Tharja had a chance to.

"Take Maribelle."

Ricken and Tharja struggled to carry the girl's unconscious form, but once she was hoisted on Anna's back, the Trickster began her swift ascent up the cave wall.

One down, three to go. And although rescue was inevitable, Ricken couldn't help but feel nervous as his entire lower half was enveloped in sand.

* * *

Tharja was the next one to be rescued. Shortly after Anna pulled Maribelle out, Miriel threw down another rope, and the Plegian girl practically jumped on it.

Because of their rescue party's minimal strength, it took a minute or so to fully retrieve Tharja from the cave's depths.

At that point, Ricken found that three-fifths of him was entrapped, and Gaius' taller figure halfway down, as well.

The same rope was thrown down to Ricken, but he called out.

"How are we gonna get Gaius out?"

Strained shouts were made from the cave to the outside, and from what Ricken understood, he would tie the rope around Gaius' waist, and cling onto him somehow while the others pulled him up.

His hands were shaky. Because the sand had already reached his chest, he was working at a slower movement than normal, and needless to say his nerves were all over the place.

Small hands worked erratically, trembling as he wrapped the rope around the thief's body (hopefully in a way that wouldn't worsen the damage), and double knotted it to make sure. (But not triple knotted, because he worried that would hurt the unconscious thief)

"Ready!" he yelled out, voice wavering badly.

Only the top part of his shoulders, upward were free of sand. He had to cling onto the thief's legs, refusing to let go, even as the sand was dragging down his clothes in an attempt to keep him there.

It felt like an eternity, until Ricken could feel the cool, night air, and see the mixed expressions of his allies' faces.

The mage collapsed on the grass, glad that he was outside for once. He noticed in the faint darkness, Henry untying the rope that kept Gaius hoisted. The thief was alive, Ricken realized, if barely. There was a grievous wound and dried streams of blood on his head (where he was hit earlier, no doubt), and other injuries from being so close to life-threatening explosions.

But everyone was like that. Lissa had multiple cuts and gashes, rocks and shards embedded in her skin. Anna's legs were slashed at, and there was a biting pain in both of her shoulders. Maribelle's unconscious body was laced with cuts, the deepest of them on her back, where she was thrown against the wall during the explosion.

Miriel was bleeding as he spoke, her wounds cleverly hidden underneath her mage robes, but only visible when she turned at a certain angle. Even Henry himself, his white hair stained brown and red, with a resounding earache and cuts galore, was in pain, and showed it when his usual smile faltered into a less friendly expression.

Tharja was groaning and cursing at her wounds, holding her arm as it looked to have been bending the wrong way. Apparently it was like that for some time, but the pain didn't register until she had to pull on the ropes.

Ricken didn't want to know how his own health fared, but if the others' appearances were any indicator, he was probably banged up with the rest of them.

There must have been something bad, he realized. Because Lissa screamed at him frantically.

She could see the bone in his elbow, ivory white and poking out of his flesh.

* * *

They were ten minutes into their return to Shepherds' camp, when several convoy wagons rolled up to meet them. Worried shouts from Robin, Chrom, and others resounded in their heads, but the eight of them couldn't even really understand what was happening.

Henry saw that Robin was taking in Gaius to their wagon, having a few medics look at his severe head injuries. He looked at the tactician wordlessly, and somehow, they understood.

The strategist moved to the side of the wagon, allowing more space for the dark mage to enter. The benches that allowed people to sit were transformed into cots, and once Robin saw Henry's injuries, insisted he lay down on one.

His body riveted with aches and pains. He was sure that his head was bleeding, too, but compared to Gaius it couldn't have been that bad. From his view out the wagon, he could see the other units loading their fellow, injured Shepherds aboard. Chrom was the most noticeable, Henry decided, because his worried shouts over Lissa could probably have been heard from the castle.

The wagon lurched to a slow, but steady motion. There was no need to rattle up the wounded that traveled inside. To his left, Henry saw a generic healer, carefully tending to Gaius' body. A second healer started their work on Henry, but gave him reassurance that he wouldn't feel pain.

Painkillers, he realized. They were using something called painkillers and while he had heard the term, he never really thought that something that could make one dull to pain could exist. Because Heal and Mend and other healing items were useful, but they didn't make the suffering disappear.

Painkillers were their namesake, and Henry made a note to find out more about them when he was more aware.

For now, he let the healers do their work, and let Robin whisper out words of assurance and apology.

The Plegian nodded solemnly, and lulled his head to one side.

He could see Gaius, his profile a lot less intimidating or cunning when he was unconscious. He was peaceful, Henry realized, he was sleeping.

With a gentle movement, Henry grabbed Gaius' hand, holding it in his own. Gaius' hands were cold, but Henry's were warm. It was a pleasant feeling, and although the thief was incapacitated, Henry squeezed his hand, as if to reassure him.

_You'll be alright. You'll be okay. _

And that was enough for him. A small smile laced his features, and his eyes closed for real this time.

And the world all but darkened away, fading into a quiet, painless abyss.


	10. Jobs and Jests

**There are mentions of detailed injury and drug use in this chapter.**

* * *

Lucidity doesn't come easy. Especially not to those who were trapped inside a series of cave tunnels, who barely escaped being blown to bits, ultimately fighting for their lives as creatures beyond their control and strength threatened to kill them. It was worse when the bandits they originally were meaning to deal with had rigged the cave with explosives, and made the place nearly impossible to navigate.

But when the army's foot soldiers located the rest of the bounty underneath the debris, it relieved Robin to know that not everything was in vain.

In fact, a lot of the group's suffering was rewarded. They managed to make an impressive haul, including weapons and money alike. While most of it was given back to the various towns they belonged to in the first place, a lot of it was kept unclaimed and thus added to the Shepherds' treasury.

Although money was a shallow solution to the pain they endured, but Robin tried to make them see that their troubles weren't for nothing.

Of course, they couldn't do that while most of the eight Shepherds were injured or incapacitated, so they waited until they were all in good shape before explaining anything to them.

...

Somewhere else in camp was a certain dark mage, who was more at peace than he had ever been in his life. Even if he had barely survived the ordeal, those thoughts didn't even deter him as his mind drifted around.

Henry, especially, found that the painkillers used on him earlier were very helpful when it came to losing his awareness. While he slipped in and out of consciousness, he could only think about how all his various wounds and injuries were insignificant, as he no longer felt them. He thought about always having these helpful, magical little drugs at his side, and even dreamed about getting to keep a whole ton of it for himself.

By the time Henry woke up, he found that there was no magic drugs to be found, and that there wasn't any in his system anymore, because his sides were bitter with pain, and his head filled with nausea.

He wondered if the displeasure was clear on his face. He hoped not.

When some time passed, the boy was shocked when a sudden blur of white passed him by. His eyes opened slightly, and a hazy version of some unimportant medic was in his view.

Sensing the Plegian's obvious and warbled disdain, the healer spoke up.

"You were probably expecting the Ylissean princess or duchess, yes?"

"Maybe. I'm always so used to them hovering around me, like overprotective mothers! Although Maribelle doesn't strike me as the motherly type, really..."

No laughter came from the other, but Henry supposed only certain people could appreciate his humor.

"Well, they probably won't be on medical duty anytime soon, in light of their _own _injuries and the fact that they're recovering from the pain themselves."

"You're right. I almost forgot, they were nearly killed along with the rest of us! Hehe."

"Well, good thing you didn't forget. Are you tired, now?"

"A little bit. I think I might just fall unconscious, after all."

"Alright. I thought you might have liked to have known how Gaius was doing, but I guess not..."

And if it weren't for the mention of a certain sweets-loving thief, Henry might have prompted his unwilling body back to painless sleep.

Might have, anyways.

* * *

Gaius awoke, not believing that he would be able to do so. But it wasn't a pleasant awakening, not in the least. Not when his his was weightless, but his body ached uncontrollably, and his eyes hurt like there were shards stuck in them.

He wanted to cry out, to stir, to scream. But his movement was minimal as his clammy hands had reached up to try and rub the pain in his eyes away. There were other sounds of talking, some shifting about. He could hardly discern them, as the main thought in his unsteady mind was to get those goddamned shards out of his eyes.

Before he could even do anything mildly productive, his consciousness faded away almost immediately, which was probably the result of some sort of medicine.

_Well, _he thought, _that's fine. _

_I'm too damn tired, as it is. _

...

His dreams were of grandiose, and had him scaling mountains with great difficulty, as well as trekking through endless forests and wading through dangerously murky waters.

When Gaius returned from his dream journeys, he was rewarded with every dessert in the world. The people loved him, baked for him, and paid him all the money he wanted. It was easy to dream of himself gorging upon a sugary feast, and not gaining any weight from it, either.

The thief was brought back to reality, however, when he could hear a soft voice coaxing him back into awareness.

"...Gaius..."

"...Mmm?"

"Gaius, I know this is hard, but please wake up now."

"...Mmm-hmm."

His body was light and tired still, but he forced it to stay alert (or as alert as it could be in his state), as he weakly obeyed the other person's voice.

Was it Robin? Or Chrom? The two were so closely linked that if one was there, the other might as well be. So he didn't care which person he was talking to at the moment.

"How are you feeling?"

"Just fine. Can I sleep now?"

"Don't, please. We need to keep you awake, because you've been asleep for a while, you see."

"A while, huh..." A snort-like sound came from him, but the Ylissean managed to stay upright, and rubbed at his eyes, which were screaming with sensitivity.

When he could see again, he finally discerned that it was Robin, indeed. Chrom would probably be too busy to check up on each and every soldier, but Robin, whose invisible bonds with everyone kept them connected, was a bit more compassionate at things like that. And yet, the look in their eyes was so fearful, Gaius wondered what it was that made them like that.

Then he realized it was probably him.

"Mornin', Bubbles."

"Good morning. Oh, Gaius. You don't know how worried everyone was."

"Eh? What do you mean? I'm sure the others are in just as bad as a state. Speaking of which, what even happened? Did we get rescued last minute?"

The tactician (or should he say grandmaster? those robes, while similar to a tactician's, seemed much more ornate, more decorated) sighed, and fidgeted nervously as if trying to find the right words to respond with.

"The others _were _pretty miserable. But not as much as you, since they woke up earlier. All of you were in rough shape, I still remember your bruised up body, being lifted into the wagon like it was a corpse..."

He thought about how his unconscious, hurt-begotten body might have looked to Robin, and immediately felt bad. To worry the tactician-grandmaster was not something he wanted to do, but Gaius couldn't control some things in his life, as much as he hated to admit.

Giant dragons and spiders were one of them.

"Jeez, that sounds awful. Sorry you had to see us like that, Bubbles."

"Sorry? _I'm _the one that should be sorry. I'm so sorry, Gaius. Because of my naivety, I put all of you in life-threatening situations. And worse, I assumed that the only danger in the caves were the bandits themselves. And I-"

Their voice was getting higher, as they continued speaking frantically without any pause. Gaius reached out, his slender hands firm on their shoulders, and shook them a little.

"Calm down, will you?"

"Uh...I..."

"Stop apologizing. That wasn't your fault, or ours, or anyone's. Things just..." A coughing fit. He was probably overestimating his condition, but he continued nonetheless. "...happen sometimes, y'know?"

Robin looked down, silver-colored hair concealing their sorrowful expression.

"You don't understand, though. Everyone was suffering terribly. All of you, covered in dirt and blood and broken shards. And you, Gaius, who suffered such terrible head trauma...I didn't think you'd, you'd..."

"Survive?" the thief finished the sentence dryly, almost mockingly. It made Robin flinch.

"Y-Yeah. Not to mention, before you woke up, you were unresponsive for a week, now. A whole week. I feared that maybe your brain couldn't handle it, and at the worst case, I...!"

Gaius couldn't reply this time. A whole _week? _It had been seven days since he had been awake? Only the Gods could have kept him around this long, he figured, and why they would want to spare the life of a lowly thug was beyond him. But through the notion, Gaius found some new, awkward spiritual feeling inside of him. Maybe all these thwarted attempts at his life were signs of something, and that he should stop mocking the religion that Libra so terribly loved.

He gulped, mind unable to really grasp the situation. He almost died. In fact, by anyone else's view, he _should _have died. A blunt hit to the head is enough to send the best soldier under, and Gaius, whose body was not meant to handle beatings like that, was proof of it. They almost thought he was a lost cause. He probably would have been, if not for the stroke of luck (or the stroke of the Gods) keeping him around.

The ginger took a breath, and averted his brown-eyed gaze.

"...I get it now. I'm thankful, Bubbles, that I'm still alive to apologize to you like this. But _damn_, those dastards really did one on me, eh? At least I made it out alright!"

"Well, I wouldn't say it was 'alright'...I mean, you look better, that's for sure. But there's no telling what the hidden damage is. Because the brain is the most magical thing of all, Gaius. When tampered with, it fights back with a vengeance."

"So you're saying there's something wrong with me, now?"

"Not in such harsh words," they defended themselves, eyes narrowing slightly. "I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if you had amnesia over certain topics. Or if you forgot how to do something important or not."

"I guess we'll have to find out," he remarked gravely. "Won't we?"

Robin sighed, and stared at the ground, seemingly angry that they couldn't do anything.

"I guess so."

* * *

The week that passed before the rescue and Gaius' awakening was one filled with many events. Henry was nurtured for and fussed for by the healers, as if he was their joint-child. He supposed that they were mostly shocked that he was bleeding so much, what with his white hair turning entirely red at some point.

The dark mage sustained great damage, as the rest of the party did, but he really got to understand just how bad he was. Head injuries, lacerations, broken bones, and the worst part of it all was probably the dislocated shoulder he apparently had, which was thought to have given way underneath the pressure of the rope-pulling, and how he kept straining his arms during the whole ordeal.

"Well, I also have a ringing in my ear that doesn't stop." The Plegian paused, the very same ringing coming back to assault his ears. "What do I do about that?"

"I'm afraid it might be permanent hearing damage from the explosion," one healer explained. "And there's no cure for that, as far as I'm concerned. Maybe your own dark magic can do something about it."

But Henry didn't know any curses that could cure impaired hearing. Because curses weren't designed to help people, but rather to do the opposite. Which is why most of his curses, while they had side effects, were with good and pure intentions so as to help his fellow human race. His goal was to make a curse that could have women give birth effortlessly and successfully, without pain or suffering or chances of miscarriage.

But how could he do that, when that nonstop, high-pitched ringing wouldn't leave his ears? He tried to look like it didn't bother him, but there were points where it got unbearably loud, such that he had to cover his ears in pain.

Oh, how he hated pain. Hurting and suffering physically were the worst things possible. Death was usually painless, which is why he adored it so. But pain (even the word itself made him wince) was so repetitive, so strong. There is no one that lives a pain-free life.

Not even him.

So, second on his list of 'curses that need to be made', right under the pregnancy thing, was a hearing aid spell of sorts.

And there was no better time to work on it than the present. After all, it would be a while until Gaius woke up, and to bother the others while they're also recovering would be a selfish decision on his part. So he just sat there in the infirmary, staring at a wall because that was better than thinking about the ringing in his ears.

* * *

Henry's shoulder was forced back into the right spot, and if it were't for those magic painkillers, he might have refused such harsh treatment.

But the sedatives made the hurtful feelings dissipate, and he felt virtually nothing as his bones were snapped back into place.

While the healers wrapped bandages around his newly-healed shoulder, he saw that he wasn't the only one getting treatment in there.

Ricken, his best friend, who had been out of his sight since the terrible heist, was now there in front of him. A few beds down, the healers were relocating his bones, too. Except it was his elbow bone that was sticking out, its blood-covered, ivory structure an omen for worse injuries to come.

But the boy seemed unaffected as a delicious _snap _made his elbow bend right again, although he was only unaffected _physically. _From the look on his face, Henry knew that Ricken didn't want to remember this experience anytime soon.

So the dark mage did him a favor, and started talking to him.

"We got pretty messed up, didn't we?"

"Good morning to you, too, Henry." Ricken replied sarcastically, holding his arm still while the healers wrapped gauze around his elbow. "It wasn't a walk in the park, that's for sure."

"At least we're alive!"

"At least."

"How are the others, you think?"

"Lissa and Maribelle are okay. And Miriel is too, I think. I don't know about Tharja or Anna or Gaius, I haven't seen them yet."

"Me either! Although they've got to be fine, otherwise we would hear of their bloody demise."

"Jeez, thanks, Henry. Why don't you make me feel better, for a change?"

A large, uneasy grin placed itself on Henry's face. He gave a small chuckle, before rubbing hte back of his head.

"Sorry, sorry! I can't help it. Making jokes is better than thinking of painful things."

"I'd rather avoid getting hurt altogether," Ricken pointed out. "But whatever."

"Say, once we're alright again, let's go and use Master Seals!"

The mage's head turned. "Wait, for real?"

"Yes! Why not? We might as well reward ourselves and get stronger! I mean, maybe we wouldn't have been trounced so hard if we were stronger."

"I don't think even a Berserker can survive an explosion like that. I don't think any Berserkers _did,_" Ricken replied dryly. "But you're right about the class thing. It's about time we switched things up."

"Sweet!" Henry cheered, the word mentally reminding him of Gaius. "I can't wait!"

When another healer came and started stitching up Ricken's gashes just then, the boy gave a scoff, and looked away so he wouldn't have to see it.

"I can."

* * *

The days passed on idly. Recovery went as planned, and what started off as terrible injuries soon subsided, and deep cuts faded into something pink and shallow. There was a point where most of the injured party were nearly full in health, but it was Robin's kindness that allowed them a few days of leisure.

In those days, Henry talked animatedly about changing his class.

"Yeah! I don't know which will be cooler though, a Sorcerer or a Dark Knight!"

"Well, if you become a Dark Knight, you could ride a horse. I think that would be pretty nice."

"I guess, but what if it got hurt in battle?" The dark mage frowned at the thought of it. "I wouldn't like that."

Ricken nodded, twirling a golden little seal between his hands. "Then be a Sorcerer."

"What do _you _want to be?"

"Robin said I would probably be good as an archer, too. But Sage or Dark Knight is better, I think."

"Oooh," Henry clapped. "Sages have pretty, pretty robes! Didn't the Exalt have-"

"...-But maybe I'd want to ride a horse or something." Ricken quickly interrupted, with the thought of the late Emmeryn rising up in their conversation.

"Well, I guess we won't know until we try. But choose wisely!" Henry piped up, springing from his step. "Because once you change, it'll be really hard to go back."

"I guess, but we're not the only ones that will be reclassing, y'know."

And Ricken's point was proven in an instant, when Lissa and Maribelle both walked in, followed by Lon'qu and Gregor, and a stray Tharja behind them. With all of them chatting animatedly about switching classes, Henry couldn't help but feel ecstatic, too.

"So," he began. "Who's first?"

* * *

The process was very simple, but interesting. Because of the fortune they amassed, everyone who could, _would_ become stronger, and the shiny golden seals were very promising.

Needless to say, things went along swimmingly. Lissa went first (partly because Maribelle demanded that she go first, partly because everyone insisted in the first place) and she traded her golden robes for more iridescent ones.

Ones that surprisingly looked a lot like Emmeryn's. Maribelle nearly dropped her parasol, and Ricken nearly gaped. Henry could sense a notable air of tension in the room, but quickly disregarded it.

Subsequently, he was the only one that commented on anything.

"You look beautiful."

Lissa's eyes widened, and while she wiped away tears that started to form there, she mustered up an answer through a wavering voice.

"Thank you."

...

Maribelle changed into a Valkyrie, not wanting to part with her dear horse just yet. But this new class let her start learning magic, and she leafed through Thunder tomes that shone with a newness.

Ricken followed after her, deciding to join Lissa in becoming a Sage. His robes weren't as radiant as Lissa's were, but shone with a light that gave him a new sense of wisdom, of personality. And his seasoned Arcthunder was right at home, in between his pale hands.

Lon'qu became something more powerful, something more lithe. Sporting fur-trimmed robes and silken threads, he wore the title Swordmaster with ease and purpose. Gregor laughed heartily, as he adjusted his Hero's armor, slapping the black-haired male on the back.

Even Tharja seemed impressed with her new garb. A smile crept on her face, and the thin fabric that clung to the curves of her body shimmered, like a dark shadow in the night.

All that left was Henry, who was so distracted with everyone else's transformations, that he nearly forgot he was reclassing, too. But by the time he remembered, most of the others had left, save Ricken who was on the verge of leaving.

"Oh, just stay a little while longer! I wanna change into shiny new clothes, too!"

"Alright." Ricken agreed. "Although, I think the clothes don't really matter. It's more about the new levels of strength, maybe."

The Plegian chuckled, and picked up a golden seal from the neat pile on the table. Its power surged in his hands, as if teasing him.

_Use me, _it nearly whispers. _Any choice is the right choice. _

Holding the Master Seal within his hands, Henry raised it up, where silken light enveloped him, wrapping around him and invigorating him. When the brightness started to dissipate, Henry felt a strange, euphoric feeling. Something numb, yet sensitive. Something shining and springy. And he didn't understand this feeling, but he loved it.

His new Sorcerer clothes fit him well, the skirt dancing around as he twirled around like a child lost in thought. Sheer clothing with purple silk, black trimmings and the mark of Grima. Every last detail made him feel more at ease, because the darkness in his heart loved Plegia more than he did. And his body conformed to Plegian garb like it was home.

Even if he had no such thing.

"How do I look?" Henry asked aloud, almost giggling in spite of himself. "Well? How is it?"

"You look good."

He stopped in his tracks, pale body coming to a halt, white hair falling back into its place. His smile wavered, but steadied out into a long, happy expression. Turning on his heels, the dark mage turned and faced the source of the voice, eyes barely opening to reveal their murky depths.

It wasn't Ricken that spoke out, for it seemed that the mage was either off to the side or gone from the vacancy completely. No, it wasn't the short, red-haired mage who was Henry's best (and only) friend. It wasn't the boy with the high hopes of becoming an adult, of becoming something worthy. No, it wasn't him _at all._

It was Gaius.


	11. Apologies and Attitudes

The last thing that Henry was expecting was Gaius walking in, let alone complimenting him. Some weird feeling resounded within him, but he blamed it on his low blood pressure, disregarding it as anything serious.

Although, he did have to swallow the nervousness that built up in his throat. And his smile (which was wide) eased up some more, turning into something more relaxed, and more genuine.

It _was _Gaius he was dealing with, after all.

"Thanks, Honeybuns." Henry said. "Finally out of bed, huh?"

The thief blinked, and gave a slow nod. "Yeah. We got hit pretty bad, huh?"

"_I _think so! But it's all worth it. We got cool, shiny stuff! Not to mention a _ton _of money. Speaking of which, are you here to change classes, too?"

His eyes wandered over to the table, where a few seals still lay unused, and walked past Henry so as to examine them.

In those short seconds where Gaius' shoulder gently brushed against Henry, the latter noticed something. He noticed that Gaius was thinner than he last remembered, and there was something unusual in his eyes, something that wasn't the usual mischief or amusement.

Something dark, something strange. Was it a wisdom, perhaps, gained from the life threatening moments spent in the cave? Or a new found spiritualism for the Gods that spared him? Henry couldn't tell, but he did feel partly uneasy, partly disappointed.

Because Gaius had changed, somewhere in there, and it wasn't hard to tell how. But the Plegian decided that he still liked him all the same, even when he didn't have the blatantly same attitude anymore.

_Maybe, _he thought, bemused. _Maybe I even like him a little more, now. _

...

Gaius was thinking about a change, however. He loved his thievery status, but knew that if he stayed at such an occupation forever, he would never get stronger, and enemies would start pounding on him harder.

While some of the scenes from the cave-ins were blurry in his mind, he remembered just how helpless he felt when stronger enemies got the best of him. He certainly didn't want a repeat of that, if he could help it.

So his decision was made, then.

Giving a sidelong glance to Henry, the Ylissean raised a seal into the air, its golden light trickling down and consuming him. When the blinding flashes stopped, Henry got a good, long look at Gaius' new image.

Cloth of light and lithe material wrapped around him, black and shades of dark blue at times, with two long streams of fabric falling behind him. Three blades stuck out from the lengthy gloves on each of his arms, and stronger slabs of leather armor placed themselves at Gaius' stomach, sides, and legs.

The sorcerer couldn't help but gape at how much more _intimidating _Gaius was, but at the same time, how more endearing he became. And the exact word for his new class escaped him, but the red-head, noticing Henry's amazement, informed him on the name for his new occupation.

"Assassin," Gaius said. "I think it suits me."

"In more ways than one."

* * *

Ricken eventually returned, saying how his hat had flown off his head while Henry was reclassing, and that he chased it nearly a mile into camp before he could secure it on his head again.

The Plegian was sure that the boy was exaggerating, but welcomed his presence back, once again.

After all, he seemed to have surprised Gaius with his rather short, yet impulsive comment. But was he to be blamed? After all, it had been a while since he talked to Gaius alone, and the new light that he started seeing the assassin in was very captivating.

Needless to say, Henry was not very good at dealing with whatever broken emotions he had left. Hopefully Gaius could consider that.

If he did, however, it would be a hasty consideration, as Henry quickly went to Ricken's side, pulling the boy away to take about how they should spar, or something of the ilk.

Gaius watched as he left, still wondering what Henry had meant.

(Of course, he knew _exactly _what he meant, but it made him feel better to pretend that he didn't)

...

Part of Gaius' new training would be to handle bows. Assassins were a versatile class that could use either swords or bows, but Gaius had never so much as thought about archery, and now he had to master it.

Well, maybe not master it, but it would be a smart idea to touch up on a new skill. After all, using bows meant working with one's hands, and he was Gaius the Nimble in skill, not just in name. He prided himself over his handiwork, and how whatever his hands could work with, he easily understood. Sewing? Check. Cooking? Check. Cards? Check. Forging? Check. All those tricks and more were at Gaius' disposal, simply because they involved working with his hands.

So, how hard could archery be? Gaius asked himself this question as he went to the shooting range, picking up a sleek bronze bow before heading off. The weapon itself was pretty light, and easy to carry around. Its arrows even more so, and yet their sharp edge is what allowed them to be so lethal. It wasn't brute force or strength, but speed and direction.

It was perfect for Gaius.

And he thought so, too, as he walked into the greenery where the archery targets were. Not many people were there, the only person of note was Virion, who started to leave while Gaius entered. This didn't bother the ginger, because that philanderer wasn't something worth fretting upon.

Choosing a target off to the side, he pulled back the length of his bow, arrow poised and straight. His hands were steady, and his eyes discerning. With a short breath, he released the arrow, the shaft flying through the air like a hawk, and landing straight on the target.

Bulls-eye.

Gaius smiled, and readied another bow. He fired another arrow, which hit a little lower this time. The process continued, as he practiced loading arrows quickly, firing arrows quickly, and firing arrows _accurately. _These were the skills he needed to refine if he wanted to use the bow to its full potential.

When he ran out of arrows, he picked up another bronze bow, and moved to a new target after he pulled out the old, used arrows from his previous one. It was here that he noticed that all the other soldiers had left at some point, and he was the only one left at the shooting range.

This didn't bother him, but some wind started picking up, and he knew that an arrow's flight was directly affected by the wind. With a focused pull, his arrows went flying, and despite the gales that blew by, landed close to the bulls-eye section.

This methodical process went on for some time, and the assassin was on his last arrow, again. He arched back, arm pulling the string, and was prepared to let it go at any second.

"Hey!"

The sudden cry made him surprised, and as he loosed the shaft hastily. It spiraled unevenly, and missed the target altogether as soared towards the grass.

With a short breath, the ginger turned around.

It was Henry, smiling and bounding his way over, like some excited child. Gaius smiled faintly, not surprised that it was Henry who managed to make his focus go astray.

_Wait, what? _

"Hey." Gaius greeted casually. "What did you want?"

"Well, to call you to lunch! Robin asked me to make sure you were there. Something about...not eating for a while? I dunno," he shrugged, shifting his balance from one foot to the other.

"Oh." That was true. If he was asleep for the week that he was, that meant he hadn't had anything to eat since then. His stomach started growling, as if to remind Gaius that he was running on empty.

Even so, the thought of food didn't entertain him at the moment.

"In a little while, maybe. I still wanna practice using bows."

"Oooh," Henry awed. "Right, you can use bows now! How are they? Sharp? Dangerous?"

"Easy to use." Gaius insisted, turning his back on the other. There was a feeling stirring within him, and it was present when he stared at Henry. He couldn't tell what it was, but he didn't want the sorcerer to see his expression when he tried to figure it out.

Henry, a bit dismayed that Gaius seemingly lost interest in him, spoke up again. "I guess so! You just have to have good aim! But hey, that means you can attack from afar, right? So you could take on the best mages or something."

"Sure. But mages are easy to take down. If I want to take out the Sorcerers, the Dark Knights, I need to be more than just good."

The platinum-blond frowned, and started swaying on his toes. "Eh? I guess...but if it's you, Gaius, then I don't think that's a problem. You're pretty strong, y'know! Like, blood biting strong!"

Gaius remained silent, but gave a silent nod as he went to collect his used arrows.

Henry sighed, and figured that he couldn't press the matter any further. (Whatever matter _that _was) Instead, he turned his back on the thief-assassin, and started the trek back to the mess hall.

"Henry, wait."

The Plegian paused, the few simple words stopping him. Gaius had used his real name before, back in the caves, but that was in a time of panic.

There was no danger in this situation, so he knew that the other was _purposely _using Henry's name. Not just a nickname or a moniker, but his _real_ name.

_It must be serious, _he thought, and the magic user turned around, eyes opening to see what was _really _going on here.

Gaius walked up, a seemingly apologetic look on his face as he did so. Rubbing the back of his head, he appeared to be looking for the right words to follow up on.

But any words would have made Henry more at ease than he was now. Hopefully the big, bright smile on his face was covering it up.

"Henry," Gaius repeated. "I think, that, uh, we got off on the wrong foot."

"Whoa, kind of late for that."

"I know. But I can be a stubborn dastard sometimes. So, if it's alright, let's pretend none of the stuff before ever happened."

"Um, it's hard to forget being chased by a giant dragon in a crumbling cave, y'know? Even a memory curse would make that hard to forget."

"Not _that. _I mean, obviously _that _can't be forgotten. I meant the other stuff, like the pranks and the avoiding each other kind of deal. Let's make it water under the bridge."

"Oh." Henry was pleasantly surprised that Gaius would admit to something like this, that he would have the resolve to change their relationship as it is. But Henry preferred this nonetheless; preferred it over the awkwardness they had built between them, and Henry's erratic comments being the only things to try and break down the barriers. No, _this_ was better.

And it was evident on Henry's face, too. After all, not many people would apologize to him (even if Gaius did so in such an indirect manner), let alone want to make amends with him. But he supposed that he didn't form many relationships with people to begin with. Animals were much nicer, and even Ricken agreed to that, sometimes.

But this wasn't Ricken, or Tharja, or someone else that he connected with based on magic or animals or spells. It was Gaius, who virtually almost had nothing to do with him, if it weren't for Henry's interference in the first place.

And despite all that, it was _Gaius _that wanted another shot at this. Of course, Henry always thought it would be better if they were friends and not whatever-they-used-to-be, but he didn't have the knowledge nor the heart to do so.

Now, the chance was there, and Henry had no greater delight than in taking it.

"Well, I guess you're right! Yeah, let's put it behind us, and forget the nasty little scars. Or try to, at least. So, from the beginning, I'm Henry! I'm from Plegia and I'm starving, so we should go eat."

"I'm Gaius," he smirked. "And let's go, then."


	12. Lunches and Leisures

They arrived at the mess hall, where everyone looked as lively as ever. Vaike was in the middle of the room, boasting about how he had beaten Chrom during training, until Lissa had argued against it, recalling his blundering footwork and being bested in the last minutes of the battle. This roused the crowd to an ear-splitting jeer, and the spiky blond was lost in his own rancor.

Henry looked to the side, and saw Donnel and Kellam talking to each other animatedly, with the Tinhead boy gesturing wildly with his hands. Next to them was a sulky Tharja, who seemed to be staring intently at the back of Robin's head. Robin, of course, was surrounded by a plethora of different people, because they were the only person in the entire army that everyone could confide in.

That included Henry and Gaius, such that the white-haired sorcerer settled for sitting near the grandmaster, smiling widely at Robin's friendly person.

"There you two are. You look nice," Robin commented, tugging lightly at the hem of Henry's skirt. The Plegian giggled, and swung his legs over the bench, plopping down right in his seat.

"Thank you! I'm sure I can blow enemies up even better now! Make some Risen potpourri, y'know?"

Robin sighed, and took a swig of their drink. "What a terrible image. Of course, they have to die anyways, but what a mess that would be, if they suddenly exploded and went flying everywhere..."

Gaius, who took his place on the other side of Henry, poured himself some mead. He joked at Robin with a derisive laugh.

"Obviously you haven't been on the field with Junior here." He jabbed a thumb in his direction. "That's all he does, is blow 'em up."

"Guilty as charged!" Henry snickered, placing a tome on the table. "This bad boy lights them up like fireworks!"

Robin shuddered, and was partly thankful that they had no access to dark magic in their current class. "I'm sure it does."

Banter like that continued on, with plates of food and different soldiers meandering in and out. Some of the more serious Shepherds grabbed some food and left, not amused by the amiable camaraderie going on within the communal eatery. Those that were more prone to having fun stayed a while, and loud laughter erupted throughout the hall.

Henry watched all of it transpire before his eyes, and he could not stop the smile that started spreading wide on his face. He snuck in some bites of food here and there, mostly rare meat and undercooked potatoes. The Plegian was not known for his eating habits, and his low blood pressure was probably a result of his unhealthy habits.

Gaius was starting to notice this more clearly, when Henry passed along what seemed to be perfectly fine food. Granted, Gaius' diet was composed mostly of sweets, he seemed much more healthier in comparison to the pale mage that sat beside him.

"Hey," he grumbled out through his meal, "you should probably eat more."

"Huh?" Henry asked, turning his attention to the assassin next to him. "Oh, I'm fine, though! There's a lot of food to go around, really."

"I find that hard to believe, especially considering that Blue gave a speech about increasing hunting duties and food gathering just yesterday."

"All the more reason I shouldn't indulge! Think of the folks' that'll get angry if they don't get seconds. I'm doing them a favor, honest!"

"Alright," Gaius said, downing some more mead. "But I'm tellin' ya, sometimes it's not the Risen or the enemies that do you in."

Henry smiled still, although his lips twitched when Gaius continued on his pseudo sermon.

"Sometimes it's the things we do to ourselves."

* * *

Lunch passed on, and once the kitchens started closing down for the afternoon, the soldiers filed out, some returning to their training, others resuming their duties or going off to rest.

Henry found that as soon as he left the mess hall, he was greeted instantly by Robin.

"Henry," they said. "I need to talk to you."

"Ooh, what," he asked, "do you want to talk about?"

"As you know, you and the others are recovering well and whatnot, and I'm so thankful for that. Because, Henry, I still think about each injury, each death that is caused by my miscalculations when assembling troops. The incident that happened not too long ago still lingers on my mind."

"You should probably get over it," the Plegian advised. "Else you'll drive yourself up the wall with your own regrets!"

"I know, I know." Robin laughed dryly. "I've gotten my fair share of that lecture before. But what I mean to say is that I'm still worried about you, Gaius, Maribelle, and everyone else. I've checked on you all constantly, but I still can't seem to find any peace. Not to mention I'm so terribly busy, planning things with Chrom and the troops and whatnot..."

"Uh-huh, so what's the problem? Sounds like you've got it made!"

"Would you do me a favor? And closely observe the others?"

"The others?"

"Miriel, Maribelle, Lissa, Anna, Gaius, Tharja, and Ricken. If it's possible, I want you to keep close tabs on them, because I never have time to do so, but I think it would be good for you, too."

"So you want me to make sure that the explosion didn't get to their head? Is that what you mean?"

Robin nodded. "If it's not too much trouble."

"But why're you asking me? I got hit pretty bad, too! I have a ringing in my ears that never stops!"

"Well, it's because you're different, Henry. And I trust your observation skills. Ever since Carrion Isle I've known that there was something else about you that I found myself admiring."

Henry tilted his head, letting his white locks of hair dangle. With a sing-song voice, he asked: "Is that a confession I'm hearing?"

Robin laughed, but this time it seemed more genuine. Henry did not know why, but it made him feel better when he heard their laughter.

"If you'd like it to be. But what I mean is, there's something about you that I think would suit this personal favor of mine more than anyone else can. Will you do it?"

"Of course!" He chirped. "Spying on people is like, a hobby for me!"

"I-Is that so..."

"Yeah, call it something I like to do in my leisure time! But, the crow friends also tell me everything they see, too. So if you want a spy, you've got one!"

"I wouldn't call it spying. I would call it checking up on dear friends, making sure they're okay."

Henry smiled, and his heart beat so loudly, that he wondered if Robin could hear it, as well.

"If these people are _my _friends, then they'll _never _be okay."

* * *

It was late at night, and Henry was on the night watch. Something simple and easy to do, considering he was fine enough to be put to work again, but not well enough to do anything strenuous. Earlier he had been taking watch with Panne, but the Taguel went to guard the southern part of the camp, leaving the snow-haired sorcerer to keep tabs on the northern sector.

Something about those dark woods and the bright moon made Henry uneasy, but happy. Or as close to happiness as he could achieve. His smile was still 'broken' by Olivia's standards, and Cherche once commented on how fake it appeared to be.

But Gaius had said nothing about Henry's default expression, and part of him was grateful to have another friend that took him as he was. A friend that did not question his macabre nature.

At least, not on the outside. Maybe something internally made Gaius more amicable, and if that were the case, Henry could blame the explosion. After all, Gaius got beaned in the head by a giant rock so hard that he fell into a coma for a week. As grave as it seemed, Henry had to accept the possibility that the Gaius that went into the cave was different than the Gaius that got out.

But he liked him all the same.

And it especially showed when the Ylissean suddenly appeared, and Henry found his smile elongating.

"Hey there," he greeted, "nightmares got you up?"

"Not exactly," Gaius replied. "But I figured that if I wasn't gonna sleep, I could keep you company. You mind?"

"I don't mind at all! It's good to observe the darkness together," the boy joked, waving his hand around in a dismissive fashion. "It's super dark tonight. The moon is out, though, so that's good."

"Yeah," the other said listlessly. "Yeah, it's fine."

As Gaius looked skyward, Henry could not help but notice his profile in the moonlight, his dark eyes that waxed poetic thoughtfulness, his skin that was fair but blemished with an array of freckles and small scars.

There was a long, but thin line of damaged skin that trailed from Gaius' temple, down in a diagonal shape behind his ear. Strands of coral colored hair hid most of the scar, but Henry admired its visibility still, and its lasting reminder of the battles that Gaius had gone through.

He wonders if Gaius thinks of it that way. Their relationship was convoluted in the past, but the Plegian had pegged him as predictable then. It was not until the days passed on that Henry realized that Gaius was more complicated than he seemed. Inside that perfectly poised head must have been a fair share of doubts, worries, lies, and regrets.

And Henry found that no matter what was going inside of Gaius' mind, his opinions of him would probably never change. After a few moments of silence, Henry spoke up, hoping to incite a greater conversation with the other.

"Night watch is the worst," Henry complained. "Nothing ever happens. Although this is probably a good time for me to test out a curse."

"You're right about the watch," Gaius commented. "Although I think latrine duty gets the prize for the shoddiest work day."

"Oh, yuck, you're right. Heh, those poor guys. Death by Risen would smell better!"

Gaius did not seem to appreciate the joke, but did not let the conversation derail because of that. "Maybe."

"Maybe, maybe not! Say, I've gotta ask. Remember when we first met?"

He chuckled. "Of course I do. You were such an annoying little dastard."

"Heh, you were stubborn as a pegasus flying from hell! You didn't want to listen to me. And you beat me up pretty good."

"Hey, I didn't get this far in life to be hustled by a mage that barely knows where he's goin'."

"Well, I didn't sign up for the war effort just to be heckled by some meat-head that calls himself a thief!"

"Fair enough," Gaius laughed. "But, yeah, we were pretty bad back then. And it wasn't even that long ago, was it? Months, maybe?"

Henry shook his head, rubbing the back of it with hesitation. "I don't even remember. Huh. Time flies by when you're getting hurt!"

In spite of himself, Gaius decided to humor Henry, and laughed for his sake. Henry made note of the nervous tremor that hid itself inside of the other's voice.

"I guess so. Well, that's water under the bridge. Syrup under the pancakes."

"Like bodies under my feet! Or Risen under the earth..."

Gaius smiled despite the usual macabre comments, and said with great ease: "Yeah, whatever you say, big shot."

"...Whatever you say."


End file.
